Delilah wanders through the forest near castle Rend, looking around for game in the filtered moonlight. She has her revolver out and a dagger handy. Pulling her cloak around her to stave off the chill, she tries to blend into the shadows. (17 perception, 23 stealth)
Hikaru sticks to the shadows his chest heaving. He know Rakk is there and he is not looking to go toe to toe.
Nat 20 stealth but... 17 perception
Rakk crawls from one branch to another, a wide smile on his face. His eyes wide, watching for movement. (19 perception...)
He giggles to himself as he spins his dagger around his fingers. "Soon, Night Shard... blood will drip from you soon..." he whispers to the black stone weapon before clamping a hand over his mouth. (Total 20 stealth)
Hikaru moves further from the last place he saw Rakk. 'Blasted fiend' he thinks and listens.
(10 perception, nat 20 stealth.) Delilah continues forward toward a small glade, peering into it. She remains in the shadows of a large tree, stock still.
Hikaru's luck.. runs out as he stumbles into a bush loudly crashing through the branches. (Perception 21 stealth nat 1)
Delilah's ears prick up at the sound. It was rather loud. "Maybe... Something big?" She mumbles to herself, slinking toward the noise. (20 total stealth)
(19 perception... Wonder if I find you. XD wanna roll?
Delilah stops in her tracks, seeing Hikaru's blue ears poking up out of a bush. "Is that... Well I'll be."she smirks, but then it fades as she realized how terrified he looks.
Hikaru grabs his revolvers and cocks the hammer.
Hearing the branches of the bramble break, Rakk turns his head nearly backwards and his jaw almost unhinges as he grins, exposing his pointed teeth. "That way, my darling... that way, something fumbles, stumbles, and soon will bleed!" He hisses before once again clamping a hand over his mouth.
He begins climbing hand over hand down the tree, head first, almost like an iguana... (13 stealth, 21 perception)
Hikaru hears the sounds coming from deeper into the woods and flees from it to cover behind a tree.
Delilah sees Hikaru quickly scampering away and remains still, watching, hearing the sounds. She exhales, holding her gun tightly, leveling a shot at the creeping mass of shadows descending the tree. (19 stealth/perception, 22 to hit ac....)
(6 damage, shoot...12 to hide as a bonus action)
Delilah fires the shot, thinking she sees it lance through the creatures'....forearm? The shadows are hard to discern for her. Eyes wide, she quickly ducks behind the tree again, her heart pounding. She thinks, "What even is that!? Even... Even he's scared... I can help. I-- I think... I have to try..."
The gunshot startles Hikaru and he stops and faces the sound, then turns back to Rakk.
As the bullet rips through his forearm, Rakk jumps down from the tree laughing. "Oh, you're not alone... more than one plaything for my darling Night Shard..." he calls out to the forest. (shadow step to the top of a tree some 30 feet away (blah, 7 perception, 21 stealth)
Aha 23 perception
Hikaru fires off two shots into the tree canopy. (22 damage)
The bullet slams into Rakk's shoulder and he giggles. "Pain is all part of the journey..." He shadowsteps. (24 vs reflex, Jessi)
Delilah, trying to see where the shadowy creature suddenly went, feels the itching bite. Her leg twitches and she reaches down to rub the feeling away.
Instead of the small bump of a bug bite you were expecting, there is a large, bleeding laceration on the back of your leg. (15 damage, 1d6 ongoing, save/heal check ends. DC equal to 8+ level, so 15)
Her fingers feel slick with blood, and her eyes grow wide. She leaps back from the tree, stumbling as she registers the pain. "W--what the--??" (Rolled a raw 7 with advantage on stealth.. Lol 13 total. 22 perception)
Her eyes grow wider, finally seeing this being who's hunting them. She breaks out into a cold sweat, backing up against another tree, trying to keep him in front of her--in eye sight. Her leg aches as it continues to bleed out. (3 damage) She holds her dagger up as she steadies her gun on him. "W--why are you hunting us? Who are you?" (I know I should attack but I'm literally curious what he'd say, and it's... Prolly in character for her to try to buy time... nat 20 persuasion, 29 total.
Rakk smiles widely and slowly tilts his head to the side. "I am the true son..." he holds up his dagger and runs his finger along the side of the blade, wiping some of her blood off before rubbing it between his fingers and snickering. "And I'm hunting you, because it's fun." shadowstep (13 stealth)
(27 acrobatics to launch myself between you and her)(16 and 18 to hit) Hikaru leaps in between Rakk and Delilah, but his breath is ragged and fast like he's terrified, his shots fire off harmlessly into the night.
Delilah yelps at the furious blue streak of Hikaru launching himself out from the shadows. She takes the distraction to quickly duck behind another pine, ripping and wrapping part of her shirt around her leg. She shakes violently, the blood making it slippery to work. (Holy crap.. Lol.. 10 stealth.. Nat 1 medicine check.)
Rakk carefully straps on his armor and drops the baggy cloak back down overtop once again before cackling into the night. (17 intimidate, 10 stealth)
Delilah feels a chill run up her spine at the cold, cruel laugh. She focuses harder on bandaging herself, finally stemming the bleeding.
Hikaru stumbles back a few paces and fires again. (29 and a nat 20)
Rakk crumples backward as the bullets slam into his breastplate, but instead of impacting the ground, he falls through it and emerges behind Hikaru, dragging the hooked side of Night Shard up the underside of his arm. (12 damage, 1d6 ongoing. Save/heal check ends. DC is 15) he cackles and punches the fox in the ear. (2 damage, con save or be stunned.) shadowstep (total 20 stealth, nat 1 perception... lol)
Meh 10 perception, 6 medicine) Delilah stumbles out, glancing around wide-eyed. Not sure what to say, she struggles to find something to help stop Hikaru's bleeding gash.
(ugh 10 constitution save) Hikaru gasps and heaves trying to keep his dinner down and nearly collapses from the pain.
(18 medicine check to help stabilize) Delilah grabs hold of him, trying to keep Hikaru upright. She quickly wraps some linen around his arm, stemming the rush of blood.
(Blah... 8 intimidate... lol) Rakk laughs maliciously as he steps from shadow to shadow, dancing around the trees. "The blood is flowing, pain has been felt... time to end it all!" (Crap..... 14 stealth? Lol... )
(nat 20, 27 and a 26 for attacks, 52 damage) Hikaru rattles off three more shots and tries to let Delilah stem the bleeding.
As the bullets hammer into Rakk, a very ominous sound echoes throughout the forest..... laughter.
Rakk looks at both of you, and smiles. "Now the real fun begins!" He hisses through his teeth, wiping blood from his eye. He snaps his fingers and the forest around him (30 ft radius) floods with a thick, shadowy fog. (Magical darkness. Snuffs all light sources, acts as difficult terrain to any enemy inside)
Delilah, having helped stop Hikaru's bleeding, watches the magical fog with a look of malaise. She backs away from him with a look in her eye, making to break for it. She turns and runs about 30 feet, finding herself in another small clearing. Daggers out, she looks jumpy, ready to evade any incoming attacks. "Y-you're a coward!" She calls out, "Hiding in the shadows... You can't t-take us up close, I bet! You're weak!" (15 intimidate XD lol
Hikaru casts about in the darkness looking for anything to shoot. (23 perception)
Rakk laughs as he darts around from shadow to shadow. "A coward, am I? Well then I guess that's my fate... just as your fate is to die!" (...dang you and your disadvantage... made me waste a Nat 20! 19 vs your dex save)
Rakk launches up from Ruby's shadow, his dagger barely missing it's mark of the backside of her knee, instead digging the point into the back of her thigh. He quickly tumbles sideways, (12 acrobatics) rolling into the shadowy fog, giggling as he disappears from sight. (Whew... thank you Mr. Gygax for advantage... my first roll I ended up rolling a 2... second time I got a total score of 28 stealth)
(21 perception, attack 14 with disadvantage...) Delilah tries to launch one of her poisoned daggers into the fog after him where she thought he last was, but hears it clatter away against the pine needles.
Getting desperate, she pulls out a vial from her bag and pops the cap off the end, holding it shaking in her hand. Waiting.
Suddenly, and without warning, a glowing blue-eyed Ryuu leaps from the trees above the three of you. He lands in a fury of lightning and electricity, his eyes fierce.
"You better f***ing grab my hands, Hikaru, or that thing's gonna kill you all! Damn, I HATE saving your @$$es!"
"Blast it all!" He grabs Ryuu's hands and readies himself.
He grips Hikaru's hands roughly and electricity erupts from the ground, lancing around Ryuu's combat boots. It rockets up his body as he morphs, transforming into Hikaru's rifle in a powerful surge of blue light. The lightning bolt down the side of the barrel arcs with energy.
Hikaru hears in his mind, "Shoot the bastard!!"
"Blast it rakk your reign of terror is at an end!" (21vs AC, 26)
Delilah watches in terrified amazement. She hurriedly dumps some kind of powder all over where her shadow is in the clearing... And pulls another out, holding it ready.
(so 37) Red lightning crackles down Hikaru's arms then a blue lightning bolt strikes out within less than a second, if you blink you miss it, and seconds later thunder booms loud enough to shatter glass and eardrums
The air itself feels static and Hikaru is shocked by the power. (no pun intended)
(14 con save) Delilah grasps the sides of her head, covering her ears. The rippling shockwave of thunder deafening, shaking the trees.
The lightning slams into the shadowy figure, jolting up and down his body. When the thunderous reverberations cease, standing perfectly still in the center of the clearing is Rakk, his tunic burnt off and a large scorch mark on his breastplate. He looks up, his eyes shifting from Hikaru and Ruby, amongst the blood dripping from his forehead. A toothy grin spreads across his face, nearly splitting it in two before he throws his head back, letting loose a grotesque cackle. "Time for a swim!"
He leaps into the air, curling his fingers and snarling as his shadow reaches up and grabs him, pulling him toward the ground. You suddenly feel a cold hand on your ankle and tugging at the hem of your cloak... and when you look down, you see your shadow is also dragging you into the ground...
(Drowning Shadow! Make a constitution save! Gotta beat my attack roll... of 27...
(OUCH!!! 23... legitimately drowning in our own shadows as they SLOWLY pull us into the shadow realm... Like choking on smoke and water at the same time
Hikaru scrabbles for something, anything to grab onto. In a rare fit of Mercy he throws Ryuu away from him.
(Soooo.... this happens...) You are thrown onto a clearing of tall, dark grass surrounded by thorn covered trees, dripping a sizzling black liquid. Nearby, the unconscious Rakk is barely breathing, the Night Shard blade no longer in his hand. (He was knocked to 0hp by his own attack... lolol)
Hikaru crawls to Rakk. "You never did know how to lose fairly did you Rakk?"
Ryuu transforms back into his humanoid self on having lost contact with Hikaru. He is breathing heavily, and filled with a rage that is palpable. Lightning courses across his body, and folds his hands.
"You... F***ing. Bastard!" Ryuu approaches the unconscious Rakk menacingly, lightning arcing in between his hands.
"Hold up he's ok now. He doesn't have the knife corrupting him."
"I don't care! I'mma kill 'im! No more than he deserves!"
Delilah shakily sits up in the grass, gasping for breath and coughing. She looks pale as a sheet, sweating profusely. She feels ready to pass out, but recognizes this place. Recognizes the voices of the others, though as a human she can't see well through the darkness. Her voice sounds cold and hoarse when she speaks. ".....N... Nerezza!! Come get your poor son of shadow... Please." She practically collapses with the effort of talking.
Hikaru leers up from Rakk's body and a low growl gurgles in his throat, like an animal. His ears twist back and his tail bristles.
"Stand down Ryuu. Someone more powerful than both of us will take care of it." He snarls.
"H-he meant to kill us." Delilah coughs weakly. "But the rest of him didn't. T-the rest of them."
"That's how Rakk is. His mind is broken. That's why he manifests as the others." His voice ragged. "He can't stay out like this or he hurts people."
Ryuu stops mid stride and looks at Hikaru with a scowl and furrowed brow. "Tch." He restrains himself, and his lightning disappears. "Fine. It was boring anyway." Ryuu folds his arms, and huffs, looking away.