Rocks fall, everyone slides

by Zar'ral Helvimtor

The platform we’re on begins to slide down the mountain before Titan bursts out and breaks it in half, chasing us downwards.

As we try and fend off the angry rock, it continues to break the platform. Occasionally we manage to temporarily subdue it and attack its glowing yellow core. Zef gets trapped in a stone gaol but luckily I manage to take the gaol by surprise and break it, while Arrex engages in a headbutting contest with the Rock God.

After we do sufficient damage to his core, Titan disperses into energy. We heroically raise our weapons aloft and absorb him for another crystal power up, momentarily forgetting that the platform we’re on is now one eighth of its original size and is still hurtling down the side of a mountain. Vex and Rex are punished for our hubris as they fall off the platform. Those of us with better reaction times are able to stabilise ourselves and hold on until we reach the bottom, and our companions join us after they’ve finished being grated against the mountainside. Rex manages to shake it off, but our humble captain is once more at the brink of death until Kupo almost reflexively brings him back up.

A chill tortle greets us as he watches us slide to a halt. He’s travelling the world on his fat chocobo, using his dead dad as a literal shield, and wielding some kind of chill non-religious holy magic. His name is Gilbert and he wants to travel with us to Padstow, which we readily agree to.

As we’re speaking to Gil, we spot some rustling in the bushes. I sneak up on them, unseen, and don’t see anything. Obviously, this was just the wind.

We set up camp, and since Rex is too tired to do anything we decide that I will take first watch and Kupo will take the second.

I go to sleep after an uneventful watch, ready to rest after a day spent mountaineering and god-slaying. However, Kupo shortly wakes us all up to show us that he’s fired a light-encased arrow into the dark surrounding our camp and hit a hobgoblin in the eye. This appears to have scared off the creature’s companions, so I’m content to give Kupo a pat on the back and return to my meditation.

We wake up, pleasantly unmolested by hobgoblins, and set off to Padstow. As I’m scouting ahead of the group, I spot a group of disgusting insectoid creatures known as Fried Creams. I return to the group and we hold a vote on whether or not we should fight them- ultimately, the sense that they might pose a threat to a less capable group (and also that they’re monstrosities that deserve only death) wins out and we try to ambush them.

Rex and I manage to get close to where the Flight Dreams are snacking on something- before the rest of the group gives away our position. We engage them and find that they’re tougher than we expected, and also possess a paralysing poison in their nasty mantis mouths. Gil uses his cool-cucumber powers to give me more opportunities to attack, rocketing up his value as a party member. I make use of my new crystal power, absorbing the aether of the creatures I kill to bolster my toughness. I’m sure that my interruption of the planet’s natural flow of aether will have no repercussions or implications.

We finish of the Thrice-Cleaned with no casualties, collect their heads for bounties, and continue to Padstow.