<strong>Eshalu - Fading ... Fading ...</strong><br/><br/>Eshalu's pain resonated more strongly than her words, at least at first. The reflection's expression was suddenly stricken with surprise and worry. But when Eshalu failed to keel over or cry out in pain, it settled once more, staring reflectively into the water from its invisible perch upon the riverbank. Eventually, however, it leaned forward, running a hand through the water, a movement which was mirrored by small ripples. Insubstantial was perhaps the wrong word, after all. After a moment, the image flickered and the woman held a small, curved blade.<br/><br/>She turned away from the water and began carving the ground with the knife. The image in the water flickered, growing weak and cloudy as jagged, speckled runes appeared one by one in the muddy ground at the waterside. First slowly, and then faster and faster they formed, curling outwards in a circle from where the woman (were she truly a woman, and not merely a shade) sat. In the water, the reflection shimmered once more, standing as it did so, and then vanished.<br/><br/>The curling pattern continued, outwards and onwards. Hundreds upon hundreds of letters – or perhaps words – filled the riverbank. Their pattern, at least, made some sense: they grouped in the same vertical, three-character groups as the glyphs they had seen earlier on the wall. While Eshalu hadn't focused on them to quite the same extent as her two companions, but a few looked at least vaguely familiar.<br/><br/>The specter's image, however, didn't return to the river. The water splashed oddly, the image returning in full clarity for a moment, then flickering rapidly between different ages, emotions, and even states of health. After a few more moments, the image became a blur, and the simply a dull shadow. A pair of new runes scrawled themselves clumsily into the dirt, as well as the beginning of the third.<br/><br/>And then, nothing.<br/><br/><strong> Reliyian - Not Much Conversation, But a Bit of Compromise</strong><br/><br/>When a dagger didn't do the trick, maybe a longer blade would give her the advantage needed to deal with the vile creature? Well, it was a nice idea, but the beast obviously took exception to her attempt. The blade bit into the skin of one tentacle as it flew, and it recoiled immediately. But the creature still secured a fair hold on her arm after a few moments' struggle with the other. Its prize slightly more secure, the creature waited for a moment then, with a carefully timed lunge, snatched the sword from the air.<br/><br/>For its part, the creature hadn't really realize how cold (or sharp) the fabricated short sword would be. The first attempt at ruthless crunching resulted in a pained yelp, the first significant noise that the creature had made. A few bizarrely focused seconds later, however, it had bitten the blade neatly in two with its snuggle-toothed jaws, scooped up the broken half with its tongue, and was chewing away determinedly at the ice. Reliyian might have escaped any real violence from the creature thus far, but her weapon was not to be so lucky. Still, the few seconds of<em>Misdirected Focus</em>would surely grant her a decent advantage if used appropriately.<br/><br/>Once it had dealt with everything else, however, it turned its full attention to the buxom elf in its clutches. The tentacles around her arms worked in concert, slithering forward and burying their sharp, segmented ends in the ground. Using the leverage this new mooring provided, it pulled her arms down towards and the ground and away from it. At the same time, the monster shuffled forward, its weight bearing down on her even as more little tendrils latched themselves to her. The goal was clear: not only did the creature want her neutralized as a threat, but it was trying to work her into quite the<em>Compromising Position</em>.<br/><br/>Even while the beast worked to bring her under its control, the tendrils already latched to her began ripping and tearing at her glossy undergarment. As more of their kind found their way up against her, now affixing themselves to buttocks and back, they moved to strip her of the remaining barriers, however sparse and thin, separating her from her attacker. The more sensibly sized beak which had  formerly reddened her skin with its little attacks and fondling motions now settled in for a more serious groping. The warm flesh of the tentacle curled around the base of her breast, squeezing it lightly, while the five segments of armored beak sealed themselves around the tip of her breast, pinching and tugging with enough moisture and suction to suggest that they were, indeed, strange, auxiliary mouths, not merely cleverly-shaped claws.<br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Notes</div><div class="spoiler_body"> <br/><ul class="bbc_list"><li>Both rolls are Fight-based</li><li>Defense roll: At 2013-06-21 22:19:32, Vuali Hound (uid: 13420) rolls: 4d3a-4 Result: 4 (http://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=47455). Tied roll results in zero stress in <em>Misdirected Focus</em> focus as noted above.</li><li>Create Advantage Roll: At 2013-06-21 22:20:18, Vuali Hound (uid: 13420) rolls: 4d3a-4 Result: 5 (http://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=47456). Aiming to create <em>Compromising Position</em> Aspect on Reliyian. As noted before, if it does stack two advantages, the subsequent attack is going to be fairly dangerous.</li></ul></div></div>