Aria nodded, of the same mind about not letting the monsters get away, and slipped the staff back into her haversack. She said to Anya - sounding almost like she were snapping at her, but in truth just because she spoke in a hurry, "Grip Kass around her body and try to keep your center of mass close to hers; she might need free hands to cast spells."<br/><br/>The tiefling began blinking, and then oriented her body for a nosedive. The nearest mindflayer was just barely in bow range for her already, but she knew she'd be more accurate closer - and, in case the illithids hadn't already noticed them or weren't planning on initiating a battle, she figured she might as well get closer before she alerted them via her first arrow to her own intent to smite.<br/><br/>Far flung below, the nine mindflayers began gesticulating with hands and tentacles alike. The details were difficult to discern from this distance, but the way the six in the far-flung hexagon suddenly began moving horizontally towards one another, tightening the hexagon until they formed a nearly touching ring, suggested use of flight magic beyond what they'd already activated to float slowly.<br/><br/>The four kytons released their desperate grips on their two accompanied mindflayers, who each touched one of the devils.  Those six continued floating down, as did the mindflayer accompanied by the human.<br/><br/>A great whoosh echoed from beneath the pyramid, as its sheer speed and area pushed air out from underneath. Sand was kicked up from the desert floor by the air, sending sandstorm-like ripples in every direction even before the structure crashed down: and even moreso once it did.<br/><br/>The sound was perhaps underwhelming - a great, flat thump and a clap, like the hands of a greater deity applauding a single time. Cracks radiated up the four sides of the pyramid, all the way to the crystalline tip but not shattering it, and the stone structure roughly seemed to maintain its integrity for the moment.<br/><br/><br/>Init<br/>Aria 33<br/>npcs 20<br/>Kass 18<br/>Anya 2<br/><br/><br/>Aria: sheath staff (move), activate blink ring (std)<br/>Eastern six mindflayers all fly horizontally together at altitude 1000'; the other two groups float downward 60' to respective altitudes 1040' or 340'