MTG Salvation

**Nervada managed to hobble one of the wagons but all the free horses had already fled, except for the one Herschell was talking to, that was doing its best to run despite the merchant's attempts to calm it.

From the mineshaft there emerged a monstrosity.

It was 9 feet tall, and that was while it ran in a stooped over gorilla stance. Its form was apish, hunched and heavily muscular, but with talon-like fingers and toes, spines along its back, and spurs at its elbows and knees. Its still was ebon black and covered and striped with glowing green that matched the cultists magic. Its face was elongated, with a foreshortened lupine snout lined with needle-like teeth. Its four eyes and mane burned a bright, blazing orange that matched the robes of the cultists. Four oryx-like, ebon with crack patterns of green, emerged from its mane.

It looked at the assembled guards for a moment, bellowed a cry that sounded like a dozen voices shrieking in pain, then bound over them and charged the cultists.

The amorphous mass that had once been the cultists was now reforming together into a massive form that was starting to resemble a much larger version of the beast that had emerged from the mine.**

Herschell chased the horse for a few yards before finally giving up on it in dismay, and turning around to see the HUGE F***ING DEMON that was running to attack the Amorphous blob that was becoming ANOTHER HUGE F***ING DEMON.

Herschell stood in absolute pants-dropping terror.

Kherren noticed the cultists forming into a hideous demonic monstrosity and diverted his course. Slipping his mask from his belt, he slammed it into his face and immediately took on the characteristics of an adonis. His strength increased significantly as he barreled into the still forming demon with a vicious shoulder barge. Through the magic of the mask, Kherren's impact was no less damaging than it would normally be but elicited a ticklish feeling instead of pain._[28]

Nervada - HERSCHELL! GET ON THAT HORSE AND BRING IT TO ME 'N PLAGA! Alright Plaga, looks like we have ourselves another bomb in the making!

Nervada continues to hobble the potion cart with boomstaff blasts as he runs towards it in a manner that does not involve running through the cultist-monster. Not yet, anyway. This has been such a great trip! Nervada silently hopes the monsters shoot out even more monsters with their breath.

Herschell heard his name, and looked back at the horse receding in the distance. Fortunately, drawing his attention away from the Demons allowed him to snap out of his own funk, and he began loading his shotgun. Hopefully not with the potion he caught from the Cultists.

Roshem dropped to his knees at first sight of the monstrosity, his jaw practically unhinging for the moment. Lacking the instinctual heroics of some of his compatriots, the southerner needed a moment to absorb the new developments before regaining his senses.

**Antoninus stood stunned by the spectacle, his axe hanging limp at his side. This was too weird.**

**Kherren's gambit did not harm or tickle the forming demon, but as the rest of the demon took shape and solidified into a massive, black, 30ft tall version of the Dian-Demon, the leg Kherren was now stuck in remained flesh colored and amorphous, unable to hold the megademons weight. It set the titan off balance as the Dian-Demon charged it.

Behind the animal carts began exploding and Nervada got his wish, more monsters. Specifically a phoenix like creature made from smoke rather than flame, a huge three headed serpent with human faces (which made a beeline for Nervada), and what could best be described as a crabypus (which immediately started eating casters).

Quinn wandered groggily and injured out of the mine, looked around, then promptly turned around and headed right back in.**

In addition to the usual "we're all going to die", "why me", "if only I hadn't spent so much on Pugsly I would never have taken this job" type thoughts, a whole new thought occurred to Herschell. "How do they plan to take the children if half of them are monsters? We just need to get away from the ones with hands, and the big ones might even help!"

Herschell told Alicia his new strategy. "All we have to do is not die!"

Nervada sees the snake coming at him via Udo's sight, quickly drawing his 'rang as a plan forms in his head. Namely, he slams and releases the 'rang into the first head to strike at him, shoots the second head with his boomstaff, and hopefully command the first head to ram itself into the third before having it wrap around whatever head is next to it. [26]

Kherren began thrashing wildly, hoping to make more of the beast amorphous or at least extricate himself from the situation he'd got himself into.

Olo stayed to the sides of the battle, in a little too much pain to go charging into the fray. He and Damek carefully made their way over to Dogget while providing support for Nervada and asked him, "How would you like us to continue to protect that one while also stopping it?"

**Antoninus looked around for whoever was nearest, which happened to be Herschell and Alicia.**

Antoninus - "You think we can take that thing? ...or do anything?"

Roshem joined in with Herschell, Alicia and Antoninus, bearing a fresh stone sword. "We must do what we can."

"Weren't they trying to take the kids? Not kill them? How do they plan to Not kill the kids with this configuration?"

**Antoninus turned back to look at the spectacle, and visibly shied back from it.**

Antoninus - "You're right, but goddamn it."

"If the monstrosity forms like wax, maybe it could be melted like wax."

"Where are we going to get that much Fire? I'm no Firemage*"

*Like the Legendary Golan! Read all about his Exploits in: Bakara Tales: Volume 2!

Antoninus - "And I'm not much for magic either."

**Kherren managed to free himself, as the leg was actively trying to dispell him so it could form.

Nervada's plan went to fell when the heads breathed fire, lightning and acid at him, respectively.**

Doggett - You are trying to apply logic to lunatics. And I think Dian can take care of himself at this point, and hes on our side...for the moment. I don;t know when our backup will get here, but we have to try. Sherwood, I will need the big guns.

Sherwood - You'll have them. They can bring the fire. And anyone who wants a ride.

"Perhaps.... Is there a way to lure it into the mines, and trap it inside?"

"Without also trapping the lure? ... Perhaps using summons!"

Plaga - Yeah, because the 30 foot tall demon will easily fit into the mineshaft no problem!!

"Form does not seem to be an obstacle to it. If it can reshape itself, perhaps we can use that to our advantage."

Kherren fell to the floor with a loud thud, groaning a little. He pushed himself up and immediately tried the shoulder charging trick on the larger demon's already formed leg.