With Baazel and Dwaazel defeated, the injured, weary group pressed forward. Once again, Karl shapeshifted to a flying luckdragon to carry the group, this time back to the city of Abriymoch.
As they approached the quay, a flurry of activity erupted, with a Horned Devil on guard pointing at them and shouting as uncountable hordes of Bearded Devils and Spined Devils boiled forth from every portion of the city. Their barge was beginning to move, even before Karl touched down, as the onrushing devil pursuit closed in.
The Spined Devils gave chase on the wing, but the Bearded Devils simply kept running, off the quay, straight into the magma, chasing the barge. Koichi doled out some more cure spells to the group, Karl enchanted them all to fly, and battle was joined.
The Spined Devils hovered over the barge, choosing targets, as they plucked their spines from their bodies and hurled them at the group. Each one that scored a hit penetrated the flesh and lodged there, simultaneously bursting into flames.
Bearded Devils began bursting forth from the magma beneath, climbing the sides of the barge, coming for the group and the Orb. Some were armed with their infamous infernal glaives, some simply with tooth and claw.
Karl transformed himself again, this time into a ferocious warrior, with Tenser’s Transformation. This done, he drew the lightning sword he’d carried since the death of Aramis Three Cocks and advanced on the enemy.
Silverfox likewise gripped Varatha, the infernal spear, and advanced.
Koichi and James hung back, using more healing magic and magical song.
As the Spined Devils continuously rained explosive barbs on the group from above, the Bearded Devils tore into them from the deck. While Karl and Silverfox kept the Bearded Devils engaged, James flew into range to attack with a burst of deafening arcane sound. Koichi came in behind him, healing spells ready to go.
Just as the Bearded Devils started to die, more emerging from the fiery depths all the time to replace them, out on the quay another Devil, a Barbed Devil, came running to the fray. Stopping to gauge the distance, it then teleported directly to Silverfox, laying into him with its vicious claws. More Bearded Devils crowded in, until Silverfox unleashed a devastating whirlwind attack with his spear, dispatching two, severely wounding another, and cutting deep into the Barbed Devil as well.
Karl then set out to deal with the flyers. Some well aimed lightning strokes from his lightning sword took them out in handfuls.
All the while this was going on, pursuit came from Abriymoch. The Pit Fiend Grazzt himself took to the air, and was gaining on the group’s vessel as the tried to make good their escape.
Dispatching devils on every side, sticking with the barge, the passage back to Stygia was visible. Would they get there before Grazzt arrived to take back the Orb?
Back on the barge, James began laying into Bearded Devils with his whip while calling on the power of dragons for his allies. As some space began to clear among the combatants, Koichi called an ice storm to blanket the barge, pounding more devils into submission.
Silverfox focused all his fury on the Barbed Devil, repeatedly thrusting his spear home. Karl continued to take out the Spined Devils in the air.
Grazzt came on, gaining, closer, closer, his hideous grin plainly visible, reaching out his claws –
and the barge entered the tunnel. They were out of Phlegethos, back in Stygian waters, and under the protection of Levistus.
Mick On Everything 