<span class="bbc_u"><em>Flashback: the night before the battle</em></span><br/><br/>There was a knock on Rayne's door. "May I come in?" It was Ishtar.<br/><br/>Inside the room, the reformed succubus gave a formal bow. "I... I wanted to thank you for believing in me and giving me a second chance. Not everyone would have done what you did. I know I didn't deserve it, but I will make sure that your mercy was not shown in vain. I will undo the evil I've done and strive to do good from now on. If there is ever anything you need of me, you need to but ask."<br/><br/>As a matter of fact, it turned out that Rayne did have a request regarding a succubus's Profane Gift. "Of course, the Profane Gift will help in tomorrow's battle. Knowing that it will be employed in the service of good is a spark of gladness in my heart. Ah, is this the joy of doing good? It completely surpasses the diabolical pleasure of seeing the most complicated, most underhanded plot come to fruition. Please do not be alarmed, the Gift is shared like this..." she cupped Rayne's face gently, and leaned in for a kiss.<br/><br/>The kiss was long, and involved ample amounts of tongue; and by the time they broke apart for breath, they found that they had somehow rolled into Rayne's bed, Ishtar lying on top and straddling the archer's hips. Rayne felt newfound energy surging through her body.<em>The Gift allows us to communicate like this,</em>she heard the succubus's voice directly in her mind, and realized that she could answer telepathically as well.<em>Don't worry, I have suppressed my draining abilities. Shall we continue what we've started? I can show you heights of pleasure unknown to mortal ken...</em><br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">OOC</div><div class="spoiler_body">Rayne gains the benefits of Ishtar's Profane Gift, giving her a +2 profane bonus to an ability score of her choice (assuming Dexterity), as well as the ability to communicate telepathically with Ishtar.<br/></div></div><br/><br/><hr/><br/><span class="bbc_u"><em>The battle vs Telethrax</em></span><br/><br/>Ishtar's Profane Gift of Dexterity steadied Rayne's aim at the last critical moment and helped all three of her arrows fly true, the<em>dragon bane</em>projectiles finding their way into the narrow gaps between Telethrax's scales, while glowing with the holy power imbued within them to boot. The black dragon roared with pain and turned his head so one green eye could stare straight at the arcane archer who had dared wound him so. "Your turn will come soon enough, but not before you know the agony of seeing your friends fall first!" he promised, and then those terrible jaws filled with teeth the size of swords snapped shut around Grogza. She struggled but couldn't break free of her toothy prison, and neither could she bring her axe to bear. Then the dragon kicked off his treasure pile, unfurled his wings, and took to the air - the ceiling high enough to afford him the advantage of flight!<br/><br/>"Be struck blind - Blindness!" Starstrike shouted, casting a spell at Telethrax. A black bolt of energy homed in on the dragon and then splattered uselessly against his scales, doing nothing more than make them shimmer for a moment. "Damn spell resistance," the oracle cursed.<br/><br/>"Why're you hitting him with a fort save anyways? He'll just shrug it off!" Zombs rebuked her, as he finished his own spell. A trio of miniature storm clouds materialized around him, with sparks suggesting eyes and long sweeping arms charged with bolts of lightning. He pointed at Telethrax, and the three lightning elementals took off after the dragon, though their attempts to zap or punch him seemed more of a nuisance than any credible threat. The wizard ran over to Sabrith, clasping her on the shoulder as soon as he got close enough to reach her. "Reach for the sky - Fly high!" he intoned, casting<em>fly</em>upon the catgirl.<br/><br/>"Thanks!" Sabrith said and leapt up straight into the air, managing to catch Telethrax's exposed belly with a sweep of her axe as he flew by overhead. It was a solid blow, but failed in getting him to release Grogza or knocking him out of the air. "Grr... it's up to you, Rayne!"<br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Combat</div><div class="spoiler_body">New options: Rayne can make called shots with her attacks! Called shots must beat a higher AC but have bonus effects if they hit.<br/>Normal shot: AC 31<br/>Wing shot: AC 36, prevent Telethrax from flying<br/>Mouth shot: AC 36, make Telethrax drop Grogza<br/>Eye shot: AC 41, automatic critical plus blindness<br/></div></div>