Editing Kanimaeli - Spirit of Air (section)

==Leaving The Sanctuary==

Stepping outside the temple walls, we found charred remains of the dog-faced creatures and Saloroc littering the ground... there must have been hundreds of them! The devastation was in stark contrast to the beautiful summer's day, which was quite pleasant. We headed down the path we had first used when we left the realm of Aergarnion, but I sensed that the Air was charged and had a sense of impending conflict. I drew my fans and called a warning to the others, and Pi transformed into an eagle and flew up to get a better view. He alerted us that there was movement within the trees in all directions, so there were a lot of creatures out there.

The forest around us was dead and charred, so we at least had a clear view of the nearest movement, at this stage about a mile away. We decided to head for the narrowest point to reach the water, which was to the southeast. Jumping off the temple cliffs, I called on the Air to carry us gently to the forest floor, and we set off knowing that we would likely engage with whatever was out there after just a half-mile or so. That would leave another half-mile to fight through to reach the cliffs above the water.

As we drew nearer, a group of Saloroc-like humanoids blew a warning horn. I shouted for them to let us pass, insisting that nobody needed to get hurt, but their response was clear - they intended to fight. Antinniera loosed an arrow, a warning shot that flew well over their heads. Xlotl took to the Air to join Pi, while the enemy fanned out ahead of us. They stepped forward towards us, but were clearly finding it difficult to approach closer. We could see other groups converging cautiously toward us amongst the trees.

Antinniera ran forward, switching to her halberd, and I kept pace, the Air propelling me swiftly. I also brushed Antinniera with Calm to shield her from bow fire. The foe stood their ground, drawing short, heavy scimitars that looked as heavy as they did sharp; they were ugly weapons. Xlotl climbed higher, chanting and conjuring ice missiles, which he hurled at the enemy. The missiles grew in size as they flew, striking and killing one outright!

As Xlotl banked around, he launched another projectile that found its mark. Two enemies attempted to strike Antinniera, but she was too quick. I cut down one trying to flank her, as it had already been wounded by Xlotl, and Pi smashed another's brains out. Antinniera felled yet another, leaving only one from the initial group still standing.

Moving forward, I saw Xlotl sweeping to my right up high and I heard Antinniera following behind me. Pi screamed at the last foe beside him, threatening him with death if he dared attack. The frightened enemy wet himself as Pi charged toward the next group shouting, "Come and get me!" Their response was equally ferocious, so they seemed unperturbed.

Some of the enemy closed in, striking me, but I retaliated with a hit of my own. Surrounded, I called upon the power of Calm to protect me, sprinting out of the melee as their swords struck only Air where I had been. Xlotl launched more spears, leaving the nearest foe staggering, and Pi's hammer left another barely alive. Xlotl finally landed, with one of the foe chasing after him. Xlotl hurled another spear at the aggressor, killing him just as he was about to swing his sword.

Pi found himself surrounded, but his armor was holding and he seemed to be enjoying himself. Antinniera dispatched another enemy, spilling his guts with a sweeping hack. Pi's swing smashed one to the ground but he couldn't follow through into the others. I called down a thunderburst of Air, pushing back two of the foes around me and injuring them all. Xlotl struck one with dweomer, leaving him barely standing, and Pi finished another. Both Pi and I suffered strikes from their heavy weapons, though.

I cut down one enemy and tried to run, but I was struck again. Pi picked off another with his hammer, rage glowing in his eyes, as Xlotl targeted a new group that was approaching from ahead. All of the enemy continued to close in, and Pi was still some distance behind us... and we were only about halfway to the cliffs.

As I healed some of my wounds, Xlotl soared into the air and unleashed more dweomer upon the enemies, managing to take down one of the nearby foes. Below, Pi was a whirlwind of fury, his hammer crashing down on one unfortunate creature, leaving them twitching on the ground. His armour deflected the attacks of others, while I barely managed to deflect a blow aimed at me before being struck heavily again. Antinniera was being pursued from behind, but whirled around and expertly cut down her attacker.

Antinniera and Xlotl kept moving forward, while I summoned another thunderburst of Air to cover my advance. One enemy stood firm, however, and struck me as I tried to get away. Pi downed another foe, too engrossed in the fight to advance, or possibly even notice that he was alone. Antinniera dispatched another enemy with ease, but I was in desperate need of aid. I whipped the Air around me for protection and moved forward slowly, calling out to Antinniera for help. The bitch ignored me, though, seemingly content to see who managed to survive to reach the cliffs ahead.

Pi felled another opponent, leaving just one facing him. Panting, Pi apparently told him that it had been a jolly good fight, but he'd decided to let him go. He half swung his hammer, but pulled back and just told him to fuck off. This didn't seem to have the desired effect, though, as the creature attempted to stab him! It scraped harmlessly off his armour, so he was about to enter a world of pain.

The remaining foes in the woods nearby seemed momentarily confused, unsure of what was happening. In my mind, I heard Xlotl's voice — he had healing, and I desperately needed some healing. Perhaps he had told Antinniera to continue fighting so that he could come to my aid? Perhaps I had judged her too rashly. I knew that they had a connection.

As Xlotl flew closer, I looked back to see one of the enemies striking a fellow with the flat of his sword, shouting at him and apparently urging him to attack us. Was this their leader? Could defeating him turn the tide? Despite Xlotl throwing a flask of healing down at me, I made a snap decision to throw caution to the wind and instead charged at their leader. I summoned all my inner ki to land an elemental strike with the Air. The foe doubled over and stumbled back but didn't fall!

One of the foe shouted: "Ruk oret"! The cry was echoed by a few others, and the leader roared as he squared up to face me. I roared back, sensing that this was some kind of ritual challenge. He moved first, but his heavy weapon was his undoing, as I was able to step in and strike before he could land the blow. He fell, and I deliberately stood over his body, demanding to know who was their leader now. The nearest foe, which was the one that the leader had struck, simply pointed at the body and said: "He dead, is you now". I asked, my Common almost as broken as theirs: "who big leader"? He said: "Ret"? Then shrugged his shoulders. I told him that we had no food for them, and they should go. I allowed them to pick up their weapons, which they had dropped in surrender, as they seemed to be no threat now. I knew just how close we had been to being overwhelmed, but tried not to show it!

Xlotl brought me the healing draft that he had dropped earlier, for which I was grateful, and Pi rejoined us having pulverised the poor sod that dared to stab him when he gave him the chance to run. He had stood alone, undefeated, and raised his hammer aloft in salute to dedicate the victory to Lord Admir. I found more healing draft on the leader's body, so I gave a full flask to Xlotl in thanks and kept one for myself.

We were finally able to gather on the cliffs without fear of being attacked... at least for the moment. The water below was clear of boats, although campfires visible in the hills on the far shore suggested that we would not be alone once we had crossed. High overhead to the east, a small black dot — a flying creature of some kind — caught my eye. Was Air watching? This could be a good omen!

Xlotl was the first to jump, floating down using his wings until he entered the water, which he said seemed devoid of animal life but was warm and fresh. Pi transformed into a bearded vulture, which was quite pretty! Once again I was jealous of his ability to take to the Air so easily. Antinniera and I jumped, and I used a cushion of Air to slow our fall. As we neared the water, though, we stopped falling entirely! The Air seemed reluctant to approach the water and the strength of the repulsion was strong enough to hold us above the surface. I asked Xlotl if there was something wrong with the water, and he admitted it did taste a bit gritty. It seemed that there was Earth in the water, which explained the repulsion.

We were able to journey as before, Antinniera riding on Xlotl, Pi aloft, and I walked above the surface using the ring's pwoer. As we continued, the water grew grittier, eventually becoming discolored due to the amount of Earth in it. It seemed centered on us, so I used Calm to protect myself from evil, nervous of a potential attack. Pi, with his better view from above, warned of danger approaching - the Earth was closing in on me within the Water! I drew close to Antinniera, calling on Air through Calm to protect her as well. Xlotl froze some of water, allowing Antinniera to stand on it and ready her weapon.

The water thickened with mud, making me even more nervous. I punched down with an elemental strike, disrupting the Earth where the Air struck, but it quickly began to thicken again. Xlotl beat his wings and leapt out of the water, climbing quickly to about forty-five feet, and both he and Pi circled above us. I called on Calm to protect me from evil once again. I also tried to step on the ice to join Antinniera, but it was so slippery that I feared falling into the water. Her boots allowed her to keep her footing, but I decided I was better off nearby but over the water.

I say water, but it was now clearly mud and there were even a few bits starting to protrude above the surface. Pi passed overhead while Xlotl kept his distance, and both saw a mouth begin to form underneath me while arms started reaching out towards me. Pi reacted in his usual, unpredictable way - by summoning a bone and having a little snack! Antinniera wanted me to stay still so the creature would take a form that she could strike at, whilst Xlotl urged me to move back towards him. I didn't fancy waiting for it to swallow me, so I punched down with the Air once more then ran across the surface with it spreading out and following me again.

I saw a wave growing to my left, so I veered towards it, intending to jump over and let the wave strike the creature following me. The wave, though, grew in size alarmingly quickly and despite jumping higher than normal the top slammed into me and I blacked out. The mud started to surround my body, although Pi dived down and healed the worst of my wounds. It was not enough to revive me, though!

Xlotl turned sharply, dropping towards me and produced a flask of healing liquid from his hidden space. He poured it all down my neck, and I awoke spluttering, half submerged in the muddy water! Just as I was getting my bearings, an avian creature appeared out of nowhere and grabbed me with one taloned foot, lifting me away from the water, although struggling to climb with my weight suspended below by the straps of my backpack.

A fiery bolt flew past us both, apparently from Antinniera. The creature called me a traitor, saying that I would answer for my crime of consorting with the enemy. I assumed he meant Antinniera - the flaming crown did tend to make an impression. I asked who I would answer to, and was told it was Queen of the Storm. It was all just a misunderstanding, of course, and I triedy to warn Xlotl not to hurt them - we should be able to resolve this peacefully. Xlotl did pass the message on to Antinniera, so I hoped that we could talk.

It sadly wasn't to be. Xlotl hung on to me, unwilling to allow us to be separated, and they did not take that well. A fight broke out, with bow fire exchanged, and one flew down and struck Antinniera with a sword so solidly that she collapsed! I was free at this point, so I ran to help her, allowing my mind to take energy from me to revive her. I also whipped the Air around me to protect myself, trying to calm things down in vain.

At one point they decided to leave, but Antinniera was not one to let an attack go unpunished and cut into her foe's back. That started it off again, and the injured avian fell to the water heavily. Apparently it had succumbed to Xlotl's poison after he bit it, which he seemed quite pleased about. I went to its aid, healing its wounds but unable to draw out the poison. Xlotl assured us that it wasn't fatal, though, if we could keep him above the water. Pi responded, diving into the water and becoming a large crocodile, lifting the avian on his back and carrying it towards Antinniera.

Xlotl blasted another with his mind, rendering them unconscious as well, and the others hauled the first one onto the floating ice that Antinniera was stood upon. The last of the foe rose up, drawing its bow again, and I quickly used Calm to cover the others in fog. Xlotl rescued the second avian as I used Calm once more, this time to deflect the arrows that were loosed at me. Antinniera disarmed the foes that Xlotl deposited with her, and there was a moment of calm that gave us time to think.

Xlotl wisely pointed out that the avians had been trying to carry me to the west - away from the domain of Air, which is why he didn't trust them. Was nothing here as it seemed?!

As the others worked to push the ice out of the fog, I heard avian shouts demanding that we leave their kin or face death. I relayed the message to my companions, suggesting politely that we weren’t really in a position to keep fighting given that the foe had a height advantage and bows and arrows. In fact, Antinniera seemed to have taken a liking to one of their bows, keeping it for herself. Pi, ever observant of the natural world around us, noticed a swirl of iridescent fish in the waters below, he snapped at them and they withdrew, but otherwise seemed harmless for now. They did seem to be keeping the mud away, though, so for that I was grateful.

Another warning was shouted from above, and Pi reacted quickly, grabbing one of the avian creatures in his jaws and hauling it into the water. Amazingly, the fish swam up and took turns to bat their heads against the body, keeping it from sinking. Xlotl had produced a scroll from somewhere but seeing that the avian was being kept on the surface he returned it and instead shouted up to the avians that they could have their fallen back. He also told them to deliver a message to their Queen… leave us alone! He then turned his attention to the fish, conversing with them in the elemental tongue of Water. Apparently they were guardians of this place, and gave him assurances that they would drive away the mud and keep everything safe – all were welcome in the Sanctuary. They did ask if he could keep the “demon” (Pi) from attacking them, though. They also thought of Antinniera as a prisoner, referring to her as a “Princess of Fire” due to the crown she wore.

With the unconscious avians dropped off and the fish keeping the mud monster at bay, we were able to cross safely to the southern shore. Hills at the shoreline limited our visibility, but also kept us hidden from the creatures we knew occupied the area, so we decided to stay close to the shore and rest. I meditated as the others attempted to sleep, although Xlotl turned invisible first for extra security. As dusk set in, I could see the fish glowing in the water, and they seemed to be taking turns swimming to the shore and throwing small fish at us, presumably as an offering of food. I wasn’t sure what to do with the fish, but I thanked them and gathered the offerings together, placing them in an empty waterskin and adding some water to keep them fresh for the night. I noticed some movement on the hill above us during the night, with some torches visible, but nothing came too close for comfort.

In the morning, Xlotl was quite excited about eating the fish whole. I tried one but found it quite distasteful and decided not to have any more. The next day passed without incident, and we followed the shoreline east and then struck out between the hills farther east when we had followed the water as far as we could. By the end of the day we had reached the edge of the hills, seeing a vast plain before us with a mountain range visible far in the distance.

We decided to rest. Pi transformed into a black panther with yellow markings and stalked off into the night, and it was only the Air moving that let me know where he was. It wasn't long into the night when I noticed lights approaching, though, and as they drew closer it was clear they were accompanied by dogs (or something like them). I woke Xlotl first, then Antinniera, warning her of the danger. As I looked back at the lights, trying to judge if they would come close to us, I was suddenly aware of a bright light nearby - Antinniera had donned the crown, causing it to burst into flames! Panicking slightly, I ran towards the distant lights and screamed in Common that the Fire Lord had arrived - run and save yourselves!

I was unable to sustain the run for long whilst shouting that loudly, so I screamed and dropped to the ground. I wasn’t convinced that my performance would make any difference, especially as the Oroc (at least that's probably what they were) could just drive the dogs ahead of them to test us. Pi remained close, so I gave him the last fish which had got stuck in my waterskin earlier. He purred deeply, which was strangely soothing, and as I glanced back I saw that Antinniera had removed the crown, extinguishing the flames. She was moving uphill, so I just laid low and watched as the lights kept approaching.

Pi loped forward and I followed, keeping pace with the aid of Air. Xlotl told us to hold our position, though, while he scouted ahead. Antinniera, running east shouted back to ask why we were heading towards them when we were supposed to be going east. That actually made sense, at least if you ignored the fact that she was the one that got their attention in the first place! We caught our breath for a moment as Xlotl confirmed the pursuers looked like Oroc with their dogs, and then headed towards Antinniera. We were able to regroup and move off east in the darkness whilst staying ahead of any pursuit, and after a couple of hours we had shaken them off.