RP:Rho to the Rescue. Fwoosh~

Location: Subterranean Body Chamber

As you crawl into this place, you are overwhelmed by the stench of decay. This being clearly a place where those who have had their life extinguished, have been dumped. At least two dozen bodies, all varying in race and class, lay here, piled up upon each other, each having been dead for a while. Startled, you hear a noise from behind and turn to view what it may be. You see a man dressed in rags, looking blankly at you, he carries a body over his shoulder and tosses it down with the others. Your only way to leave is back through the crawl space.

Ymheshphilun : When Neema awoke, she'd find herself in darkness. Her arms and legs would be spreadeagled on the wall, stuck like a fly in a web. Around her would be the sounds of grotesque mumbling, whimpering sobs, short outbursts of maniacal laughter, and heavy breathing.

Neema 's eyes open to see absolutely nothing. Her entire body aches, especially her twisted and broken leg. It takes a moment for the previous night's events to flood back into mind, but once they're there, the avian begins to try moving her arms. They don't budge. Her legs? Well, the broken one can't do anything and only sends another shock of pain shooting through her, so it's safe to say she tries not to move it too much. The other is rendered useless as well, what with being stuck to the wall. Wings are planted uncomfortably behind her back. She's completely immobile, save for occasional head movements. The avian shudders. Whatever belonged to those voices in the darkness didn't sound pleasant at all.

Ymheshphilun : Something shifted in the darkness. (ooc: Sorry about getting back to you so late, something was making me multitask) It sounded big, judging from the noises it made--and then, light! A glowing purple orb hung in midair. Several other bodies were strapped to the walls like she was, one of them a preklek. They seemed to be in differing states of not only physical health, but also sanity. And lurking in the shadows was the mastermind himself. Ym glided out into the opening, casting awful shadows around the room. He paused in the center, as if trying to decide who to "work with" today.

Neema would've jumped for joy if she weren't strapped down. She could see now that there was a light, kind of. What she could see was definitely unsettling, so the thought of jumping for joy flew right out the window. Now Neema was concerned with how long the other people that were in the same position as she was had been there, and wondered if she'd be there for a long time and meet a similar fate. Then entered the giant centipede. She gnawed at her lip, holding back the terrified scream that was sure to come out. It didn't look like she had a possible means of escaping any time soon.

Ymheshphilun finally faced Neema. ~Hello, Neema,~ he said, pushing his thoughts across the distance between them towards her. ~Before you ask--your name is written all over your mind. It doesn't take long to learn.~ He approached, slowly. ~Now then, there's some fun things we can do together, but first I have a few simple questions that need answering.~

Neema began to shudder again. A voice penetrating her mind wasn't something she had happen often, and without the means to keep it out, all the avian can do is stay there and listen to the creature talk to her. She's speechless, wishing to herself that she could melt into the wall and disappear once Ym gets closer. No reply is given. Neema merely waits for whatever comes next, hoping it isn't something terrible.

A haunting howl echoed through the caves.

Ymheshphilun brushed an ear with an antenna. ~Firstly: Do you consider yourself evil? Just think -at- me, I'll be able to hear it.~ His "voice" seemed almost caressing, soft and gentle. Odd. Perhaps he was trying to make her relax.

Rhocielle appears from the south.

Neema couldn't relax, even if the voice speaking to her was pleasant to the ear. The antenna brushing against her ear didn't help. Her head jerks away. She tries moving her limbs again, but they're still immobile, fixed to the wall. Neema thought the word 'no'. It can most likely be read loud and clear by Ym. Then came that howl off in the distance. The avian froze. More monsters? Great.. If only she were able to see in the dark and was strong enough to break free from her captor, she'd be hightailing it out of there.

Ymheshphilun smoothly pulled away. ~Excellent. Second question: have you seen this elf?~ He projected the image of Daeron's character. ~I would very much like to meet with him.~ The howl in the distance was ignored by the centipede, save for an internal rumbling noise.

Rhocielle was prepared for war as he raced through the Underdark, having had in mind to fight the population of Tristoh itself if need be. Armor of the blackest shades that made even the night itself cower in fear obscured equally dark lush fur of the black Lycan. Eyes smoldered as if pools of liquid silver behind the slits of the unique canine fitted helm. His distant approach was heralded beforehand by both the lumbering strides of digitigrade legs and the disturbing clacking of skulls tied to his waist. Trophies, and weapons. Through small crawl space the persistent growl of an encroaching predator could be heard. He had caught fresh scent of his target, and now, nothing would stop him. Slowly the large figure emerged from the narrow opening,, standing upright to glare at those that impeded him from his prize. In his paw like hand was held a brightly lit torch that was soon thrown ahead to light the interior. The flames produced exotic highlights against his obsidian garb. To Neema, were she not certain it to be Rhocielle, the figure would be believed to be the Devil in himself.

Neema clearly hadn't seen the elf Ym was referring to, judging by the puzzled look that took over her terrified face. Her head shakes. She's just about to reply with her thoughts, but stops midway when what she assumes to be the creature that made the howl moments before makes his presence known. Eyes blink at the light once the torch is thrown into view. She can see a whole lot better now, and hasn't the slightest idea that the strangely garbed figure below is Rhocielle. Instead her terror only jumps up a few more notches, thinking that he is an ally to the giant centipede holding her captive.

Ymheshphilun was annoyed and disappointed by the negative response, but masked it well. The light levels increased several notches, and the centipede backed away and turned towards the newcomer. He hissed ominously, dissipating the glowing orb that had illuminated the room before. Now, all that remained was the torch. ~Leave,~ declared the centipede to all, advancing slowly. Several apparently dead bodies sat up, and grabbed for crude spears. The zombies' faces were set with grim determination--they'd protect the "nest".

Rhocielle brandished the Mage's Bane from behind his back. Lustrious runic blade of the Lochaber Ax hummed with a dull droning sound. Without further notice it was sent flying before the group of undead soldiers. Revived by necromancy or other magical means, the Bane would sever the ties from the monstrous centipede to the nightmarish creatures simply by its mere presence. However, the black Lycan was not a one-trick wolf. Swift paw came to his bandoliers to remove two seperate vials, one consumed while the other was throw with such force as to shatter and spray the contents at the guardians. In the moment the second container was released from his clawed digits, he charged. Sword and bolas in hand, the only sound he made was the eerie whistling sound of skull-capped bolas whirling above his head. Those zombies that did not crumple quick enough from the mana-restricting powers of the Bane or the dissolving effects of holy waters were quick to be quarters by swift blade.

Neema can do nothing but watch as corpses are reanimated, and the armored figure began attacking them. It served as a welcoming distraction, while the avian tried to get a plan together to get unstuck from the wall that she was pinned to, or at least try putting up a good fight against the centipede to hold it off from harming her for just a little while longer. She couldn't do anything with her limbs restrained, but her mouth was uncovered. An idea strikes. While not being a master with air magic, she knew how to use it well enough to at least try something. The avian inhales a deep breath, dull eyes snapping shut while she tries calling forth the wind like she did the last time she came across zombies. Lips part, and she exhales, sending a wave of wind in Ym's direction with the intention of at least holding him back or knocking him over, but holding him back was probably the more likely choice, if it even worked. For all she knew the gust of wind she produced might only feel like a breeze flowing by the massive beast. While inhaling and exhaling for another go, she starts tugging at her arms, making attempts at wrenching her upper half free from the wall.

Ymheshphilun 's forces were unaffected by the Mage's Bane, as they were non-magical. But the other means of defense and attack unleashed by the lycan were still highly effective, and the guardians fell one by one. The wind breathed out by Neema did blow him a little, but he locked his many digits to the ground and held still. He attempted then to tame them both with one attack--a polyphonic screaming wail that split the air, tuned specifically to cause agony to the mind--keening and piercing whilst stomach-churning and chest-blasting. Very few had withstood this assault for long, and in the confined space of the cave it's affect was doubled and redoubled as it's echoes bounced around and around.

Rhocielle :When the last of the undead guards had fallen, the bolas were no longer needed as a makeshift flail. They were at last to be used for their original purpose. The boney bolas sent flying through the air as Neema released a wave of air from her mouth, they were aimed at entangling the multiple legs of the creatures. Its aim was to damage Ymheshphilun's legs as well as dislocate them from their grasp to further make him vunerable to any further assault from the pinned Avian. If the massive centipede did not budge, all the better. Grinning through the sudden grimace and suppressed pain from the awful shriek of the creature, the Lycan closed the distance to came face to face with it, an attempt to stab at its face with his tautly held blade. Steam seemingly escaped his black leathern nostrils. Burn in hell, his silver eyes seemed to howl from within his helmet. Pristine white canines were displayed for a breath second before a plume of fire escaped his maws and helm. Expanding further mere centimeters past the metallic snout, the blazing cloud blasted directly in front of the black armored wolf at point blank range to the centipede. Massive bug or not, it would quickly roast internally beneath its exoskeleton all the same if it did not escape from both Avian and Lycan.

Neema was out of breath, so her attempts at trying to knock the enormous bug over came to an abrupt halt while she tried to catch her breath. The ear piercing scream that filled her ears made her scream as well, violently shaking arms tugging even harder at their restraints to pull her hands free. In a few more desperate attempts she has one hand released, and its clapped over a pointed ear in order to try blocking out at least some of the noise. Waves of nausea shuddered through her from the sound that still managed to leak through. Another shot at trying to knock Ym to the ground was going to be delayed for a while, until Neema was able to catch her breath and stop the nauseating feeling coursing through her. Through half-lidded eyes she watched the other attacker, finding something familiar with him once she saw flames escaping his maw. She could've sworn she'd seen something like that before.

Ymheshphilun was quite durable--bolas were hardly more than a nuisance, bone or not. Fire was another thing that Ym was mostly resistant to. But that blade, stabbing for his face, would have to go. As this intrusive lycan closed on him, Ym unlocked and closed the gap himself. He swung a main crushing claw laterally, gripped the blade, and twisted, trying to wrench it from his grip. The wind actually propelled him forward into his target. His other main claw swung for Rho's head at full speed and strength, meant to smash his opponent aside and hopefully knock him out.

Rhocielle narrowed his eyes as the flames did little more than leave the shell of the creature no more than steaming slightly from the intense heat. Resistant perhaps, the shell, but not pliable. It was a rigid exoskeleton The dark blade was release without an resistance, leaving the centipede to attempt to wrench it away with more force than necessary and therefore accept it as a distracting object, while the Lycan ducked abruptly beneath the second swinging claw. Breathing out again, a second blast of flames spat out, this time directly at the gruesome face of the creature. From his crouch, his paws threw a small open sack as well as a bottle of normal water. The resultant pixie dust was simply a second means of distraction as the Lycan rolled away from Ymheshphilun, while the water was the actual weapon Though harmless in and of itself, its much cooler temperature would have a drastic impact upon the scorchingly hot chintinous plating of the centipede. Such sudden changes in temperature were sure to likely cause cracking, and therefore cause vunerabilities to surface.

Neema stopped covering her ear to try blocking out the screams. The nauseating feeling that had washed over her subsided, after she vomited up the remains of whatever she last ate down below. The freed hand is used to wipe her mouth clean for the most part, and she focuses her attention on the two fighting close by for a bit. The centipede is still distracted, thankfully. She uses what time she has to wrench her other arm free, and it works, sort of. The avian's upper half folds over in her rush to yank the other arm from its restraints, and since her legs are still strongly fastened to the wall, the momentum from pulling her arm free sends her released half moving too fast for her to stop herself. It hurts a lot, since her already injured head smacked against the wall between her legs and Neema isn't that flexible and being forced to be, but at least it gives her a chance to unfurl her wings. Once she's righted herself on the wall, Neema's right back to trying to knock Ym over, or now at least distract him from harming the unknown figure that the beast is fighting. Still short on breath, the avian calls for the air within arm's length around her to pick up, and with the forceful push of flapping wings she tries whacking Ym in any available place. It's hopefully enough to be more than just an irritant compared to her blasts of exhaled air, but Neema couldn't be sure until it hit, unless Ym was able to dodge.

Ymheshphilun twisted, following his target with speed unexpected. The flames were again little more than bothersome--but then! Water! Cold water! Cold anything was awful to Ym, and by reflex he reared up further--lifting his head to about ten feet. As he did so, the increased gusts of wind blasting about the cave shifted him to the side as he lost his grip momentarily. His body ached from the sudden shift in temperature. Snarling, gnashing his mandibles furiously, Ym looked for some way to hinder his opponent--and found it. Twisting the hind part of his body, he dropped a heavy segment on the torch, dousing it's light. His infrared vision then locked on the clearly visible burning lycan. The only Scolopendra Primamplio known to exist unleashed a fury of attacks on Rhocielle, all aimed at him at varying angles, making dodging difficult should he even see them. A stream of burning, adhesive liquid flew from his mandibles, twin crossbow-like darts fired from small openings in his main "wrists", and ten individual strands of a substance like spiderweb shot forth from Ym's top five pairs of legs.

Rhocielle :The moment the torch was extinguished, his paw like hands erupted in a Healer's Light. The azure flames trailed up his forearms to engulf his entire body, now giving the cave an eerie blue appearance. Back pedaling with quick succession, he retrieved the Lochaber Ax. Though its magical components were useless, the runic blade was no less deadly. He was not only a burning figure in the centipede's vision, he was now suddenly a blinding figure that would be hard pressed to be focused upon and attacked. In the stark darkness of the cave, such an explosion of light would be even more harmful for one that now relied on infrared vision. Crouching and lunging past acidic spit and darts as if they were an opponent's throwing knives, the blue ghostly Lycan's breathing was ragged and audible beneath his helmet but still he bellowed out a scorching breath to incinerate the spewed adhesive strands and allow an opening for the Bane to be thrown like a javelin at the creature's more tender underbelly.

Neema is finding it difficult to simultaneously send gusts of wind at the giant centipede and try to push herself off of the wall at the same time. She decides getting off of the wall was more important than trying to knock Ym over, so she stops the gusts of wind and focuses on freeing herself instead, especially with the big bug being distracted. When the room fills with a familiar blue light Neema is capable of seeing what exactly is restraining her, which hopefully will give her a better advantage with pulling herself free. It hits her while she starts tugging at her unbroken leg that those blue flames possibly belonged to Rhocielle, and she stops her movement to glance down at the fiery looking figure. Could it be him? If it was, then she wanted to get down as quickly as possible to try helping, and that made the avian work faster. She decides to just try flying off of the wall, and the flapping of her wings resumes. Broken leg peels off first, dangling uselessly from her battered and bruised body. Yet another shock of pain surges through her, causing Neema to scream for what had to be the thousandth time in a short period. Now almost completely free, Neema kicks at the wall with her unbroken leg, wings flapping as hard as they can to tug her leg free. It's successful, but if one were able to pick out small noises through the chaos going on in that cave, they'd hear the sound of snapping bone. In the process of freeing herself, she broke her ankle and probably her other leg as well. Without being able to land on two feet without hurting herself, Neema is left to remain airborne, the lower half of her body limp and in a whole lot of pain.

Ymheshphilun shifted almost immediately back to visual targeting when the light came back on, but he was left with one of those annoying afterimages in his eyes. It proved distracting--and costly. As the axe flew at him, his gaze shifted to it--and it blurred from the dot. Too late he swung a claw at it--instead of deflecting it, he could only hope to adjust it's angle of impact. The heavy weapon cut in, but not as deeply as it could have at it bounced out again quickly enough. ~Cease,~ called the centipede as a flow of nasty black liquid began trickling from the wound.

Rhocielle barked out, smokey breath escaping his maws, "Neema, to me! Get out of here!..." It did not matter where the Avian went, he would track her down afterward and escort her back to the surface, but he needed her away from that thing. Sprinting around the creature, his blade was retrieved. In his quick strides, a flare was unscrewed against its loop in his bandolier in hopes to throw it at the creature. However, the Lycan halted in his toss at the centipede's calling. Snorting heavily, he gave the lit flare to Neema so as the Avian could have her own source of light. "We leave in peace... or I leave you in pieces..." the black armored wolf remarked huskily as he cautiously retrieved his falled pole-arm. "Neema," he said curtly, further motioning the Avian to make her exit. It would not be until the crippled female escaped that the Lycan would follow soon after, the tip of his Lochaber ax ever pointed at the wounded creature. If she could not make it on her own, then he would carry her himself back to the surface. Ymheshphilun told you, "~You may leave, but know this--my mark is in you. I can contact you at any time, Neema--and this insubordination will not be forgotten...~"

Neema may have broken legs, but she was an avian. A little bit of that stubborn pride they had kicked in. She wasn't going to let her legs keep her from escaping when she could fly to safety. She was within her element when it came to flying, so once Neema reached Rhocielle, clearly glad that she was right in realizing that it was him even if her face didn't show it, what with being in an immense amount of pain and all, the flare is quickly taken. With a light source close enough for her to see everything within arms length and more, she begins quickly flying off, as fast as her tired wings can carry her and the dead weight of her broken limbs. Before completely disappearing from view, she casts a glance over a winged shoulder at the giant centipede and the lycan. Hopefully he'd get out alright as well. Then she froze. A voice, that monster's voice, echoed through her head. That sent a shudder down her spine, but she made herself try to not pay attention to it. It wasn't working too well. She sped up her flying and moved to get as far away from the centipede as possible.

Ymheshphilun watched Neema leave and stared Rho down emotionlessly. His inhuman, compound eyes bored into the lycan's own, saying nothing, but the sheer inhumanity and alien-ness of the three compound eyes could be quite intimidating when needed.

Rhocielle simply stepped backwards cautiously until he would meet the Avian outside the chamber.