Abdul listened as they moved more to an out of the way point. What goblins had been up seemed sleepy and squinted a lot making a clear indication that they were uncomfortable during the day and nocturnal in nature. The ogres seemed less impaired but seemed lazy bossing around whatever goblins were close at hand.

In one case a pair had forced a group of them to dance for them, quickly got bored and had a pair of them fist fighting. The smarter goblins stayed away as any goblins drawn closer tended to be squared off too in time. But both goblins and ogres were stupid.

While approaching the place seemed difficult that was only without magic. They seemed too lazy to set up guards or if they had they ended up slacking off. Chaos seemed to reign though fighting was kept to fists and not weapons for the most part.

The group stressed being unruly and bored. Their magic allowed them to get close though with ease, at least thus far. If Tori had any ability to detect them or if there were other Efreeti here in the shrine that was another matter though at the very least it seemed as if they would get to the shrine unhindered.

“Seems that he was gathering up everyone for his mother. I do not recognize him ...” he looked in the man's direction watching him for a bit. It may have been him scheming up a father's revenge though he continued with something that might have surprised her.

“I sense no magic from him. Often I can sense an aura, weak, strong, moderate, in most cases there is no lingering aura and I sense nothing from him. I think he may have bluffed you earlier, not a hard bluff to give the impression of being a spell caster when your parent is one … you just assume, I've done so a few times in my youth until I learned how to perceive auras.”

He pondered the issue at hand though. “We check out the shrine. All we've seen is stuff we can deal with in our sleep. Best case scenario Tori isn't here yet and if we can claim the shrine it does make things harder for her.

“The simple approach would be just to walk on in. We are invisible after all. The more elaborate approach could be risky … and of course we could barge in there with you as a prisoner, I guess taking the shape of an ogre would be simple enough. We see what's there and if we're busted well I found you, caught you and it's easy enough to bluff and act like a stupid ogre looking for the prisoner that managed to slip away. Our exit strategy would be the flames but if we do this we sort of tip our hand that we are close. That may or may not matter if the paraelementals are being dealt with. Even if one element is missing the shrine will not open.”

Assumptions were bad, but when they first met Flame didn’t want to find out whether he lied or truly was no match to the young sorceress, not with the amount of goblins and ogres in and around camp at the time. She would’ve faced a horrible fate if they caught her, that much was without question. It might’ve been filling her with distress to have no way out of his grasp, but at the same time he was the one thing keeping her safe from the creatures lurking about the area.

Right now, not much had changed although that very same notion got her to ponder on her father’s plans. She was no fan of revealing herself like that, blindly wandering into the outskirts of camp under the illusion that he caught her somewhere in the wild and meant to return the fiery spirited woman to him. “I’d wager the more elaborate approach might be too risky.”

Scarlet red eyes flickered over to where Abdul had been, albeit invisible given current circumstances. “I’ve been covered in oil before I was brought before him the first time, to prevent me from using fire magic without setting myself ablaze. I doubt he’ll buy that you’ve captured me on your own with nothing but your bare hands .. not to mention with my clothes intact. An ogre I faced in Carrion, for example, didn’t think too highly of his job as warden and the one that brought me to that young man over there would’ve done far worse if not for the fact he and his group had to fall back at the time.”

She didn’t doubt it could work, but there was next to nothing within her which encouraged that course of action in her mind. In addition to the unknown they had yet to face, Flame didn’t feel comfortable playing a role like that in a place as vital to their mission as this. “You may sense nothing from him now, but that doesn’t make him any less cautious.”

Her gaze wandered around the area once again. No, she didn’t like this one bit. There was nothing special here. The guards were hardly able to keep a good eye on their surroundings thanks to how unruly and bored they appeared to be. It didn’t feel right. Abdul himself made note of something along those lines earlier. Thus far, nothing they laid eyes on couldn’t be dealt with in their sleep. Flame had to agree with that which didn’t make accepting the more elaborate plan any more appealing.

In the end his daughter shook her head, then made up her mind as to what she wished to do. “Sticking with the simple approach should be good enough. Personally, I’d like to go with that one. No need to reveal ourselves unless we absolutely have to.”

It was decided then. Abdul nodded. “OK, let's do that.” It was a simple matter making their way through the camp but they had to pay attention. Both the goblins and ogres were unaware of them and so Flame found herself avoiding them otherwise they would have walked straight into her.

The shrine itself was made out of some sort of blue stone. It gleamed in parts as the light struck it at particular angles. The door was closed but there were no guards. Large iron double doors and she found herself halted by Abdul. He scanned the door, found simple traces of magic and concentrated.

It was not trapped at least but it was locked. The locking methods were simple though. It was magically sealed though a spell caster of equal or greater strength could open it. Abdul surmised it was to keep the ogres and goblins from accessing the place and the human as well unless he was missing something.

Thus no one was going to open the door for them to sneak in. She was encouraged to attempt to open the door though. It would not stir though Abdul did not try. There was no need to. It seemed that he was getting a taste for the power of the caster of the ward but it was a simple ward reinforcing the fact it was suppose to keep the vermin out.

“You cannot open it? Then Tori's inside, or someone just as powerful. One on one she surpasses your skill as I believed. But it is simple to bypass.” He managed to set a touch upon her arm. “Relax your thoughts, focus on advancing once you feel yourself slipping.”

Channeling magic through her it was tough to know what was happening at least at first. Since she was unable to see it happening as she was still invisible she felt disjointed, felt as if she lacked substance other then thought. It took a moment for it to sink in. She didn't have limbs but could move by sheer will albeit slowly.

As smoke it was easy to advance beneath the door. Once on the other side she became solid again as Abdul retracted the transmutation from the pair. There was a soft blue light in the shrine and a long aisle before them. Pews where on either side of it and at the far end of the room was a raised dais on which was an alter that contained a large gargoyle at each corner looking in at the alter.

A young but beautiful woman was there at that end of the room and with a quartet of humans that all looked similar; tall muscular tattooed men armed with falchion swords that wore no shirts. They were smaller then the ogres outside but struck her as far more menacing, especially as one gazed directly at her, stared at her as if he could see her then after a minute looked away from the pair.

Sneaking through the ranks of these wicked creatures had her dodge the defenders at every turn. Though the young sorceress would have loved to take a moment to watch the shrine in awe there was not a chance in hell the two unseen intruders could afford the distraction to the task at hand.

After they came up on the entrance, Flame did attempt to open the doors with due care albeit unsuccessfully. Someone had to have locked them from the inside. She then felt her father’s touch upon her arm. The effects of his magic were disorienting. She never experienced anything quite like it, but he gave her instructions and as such she followed them to the best of her ability. Strange, really, for the very thought of being both invisible and insubstantial made her feel all the more uncomfortable.

Then again, the worse fate lingered behind these doors and that’s exactly where they materializez once more. She took in their surroundings and gathered herself at the sight of four men and a woman at the other end of the room. At first the red head suspected they might be Efreeti, maybe in disguise or something similar. Their weaponry and attire seemed to fit as they had to be from a warmer climate, but the sole female aroused more attention than the others.

Flame believed to have seen the same woman in one of the flashes of memory she obtained when Stratos first introduced her to the prospect of regaining some of her suppressed memories. She was there when goblins dragged her to some kind of table or chair, that they may restrain her which occurred shortly before her memories on the Shadow of Carrion began. It could’ve been Tori. She had the looks, there was no denying that. But, Tori had a sister as well. She didn’t truly know which one it was from her current vantage point, or what any of these men were doing here.

She didn’t recognize any of their tattoo’s either. Roc had some, but none of the ones before her were familiar. Her heart was pounding against her chest all the same when one of them appeared to be looking their way. Swallowing hard, Flame began to ponder her options given how exposed they were despite being completely hidden. They had what they wanted, more or less, knowing fully well what to expect from the group.

Flame wanted to know more. What their plans were, what they were talking about, that was as vital a piece of information as the numbers they gathered in their little scouting run. Thus Flame gave Abdul a subtle squeeze about his arm and began to flank the small group by sneaking along the outermost wall, hoping the many pews were going to be an obstacle for them in case of detection.

The tattoos seemed to be tribal markings. She was some distance from them and couldn't be 100% certain but there seemed to be many that consisted of designs rather then images. The woman was from her memories, possibly Tori.

There was a tense moment as the man looked their way then diverted his focus. As she made her way closer it appeared that the five had been involved in some sort of ritual. Had that been the reason why the man didn't look into their arrival further? Had he sensed something where the others did not?

She could feel the magical power from the five. Sensing that it was strong indeed it wasn't possible for her to distinguish who had been stronger than who but these were no ogres that they were dealing with. Nor human if her suspicions were right. Whatever they were they were stronger then humans.

Closing the distance she could see that the tattoos were designs now. One of the statues began to emit a red light as it appeared that they finished whatever they had been doing. The woman gazed at the statue though the others remained docile.

At once she felt something, a shift in the magic emitted from the beings. While she still could not say who the strongest was she felt one of the auras grow weaker but it was still strong. It had been this one that acted and spoke first.

His hands flared up. The flames increasing a bit then he fired a ball of flame at a comrade who seemed to catch that ball with his hands and absorb that energy.

“I feel weaker. This had better work, Tori.”

“Don't worry your power will return as it bleeds out of the statue. It is an option. Damn Paraelementals. It seems that strong enough elemental energy can be used in place of the elemental spirits. However, I cannot use fire for all four and still need three keys.” Tori sighed and shook her head. “Further I will have to charge up all the stones in the same day to open the shrine.

“Gathering such keys can be done but it will be time consuming finding creatures on par with your abilities. If anyone could just open the shrine it would have been opened long ago. Either the Paraelementals of the Elemental Masters need to be recaptured, or at least the Elemental Spirits.”

Someone’s been busy rounding up allies and, not to mention, looking up alternatives for lost accomplices that were meant to replace their elemental powers which certainly offered the group a bit more time to prepare for an assault on the Blue Shrine. Stratos must’ve succeeded which played directly into their hands. It’d save them a whole lot of trouble down the line, too. She was pleased to know that much and listened to their conversation while clinging to one of the pews instinctively, hiding behind it despite lacking the need to.

But, they were definitely dealing with Tori. The temptation to act was beyond great, but the young sorceress had been well aware they were hopelessly outmatched at the time. They weren’t here to fight and now that Flame got a better overview of the men and the remaining surroundings they had yet to explore, the numbers were clear.

Someone might’ve been hidden beyond the altar, but from her current vantage point there was no one else to be seen. So they had what they came for. She felt no need to be around much longer, let alone close enough to recognize facial features, and decided they had enough even though the young woman had to wonder how they were going to capture Elemental Spirits. Maybe they had them before and they escaped, much like she and the others. In truth, she had no idea. Flame lingered a few more moments to collect whatever snippets of conversation came up, then made haste to trace her steps along the outer wall back to get back to her father.

Uncertainty spread through the back of her mind the whole way back. She was hoping that the man looking in their direction earlier didn’t sense anything, but if he did that he at least didn’t know for certain whether anyone or anything resided in the same room as them. Invisible and silent, they could hope to avoid them for a little while though Flame had to admit they may have something to counter that kind of magic. She hoped they didn’t.

They couldn’t open the shrine with the means they currently had and had no Efreeti or other elites to defend themselves other than perhaps the men Tori was with. They had fire magic, but Flame suspected they weren’t going to be too much trouble. If they needed four, even three of them to mimic one Elemental Master, they’d be of little difficulty to the group.

Back tracking to the door she was touched again by Abdul. Broken up into smoke she exited the same way she had come. Nothing was said as they moved through the shrine ensuring their focus remained on not walking into others. Once they had gotten out of sight though Abdul dropped their invisibility.

“Flames will not harm you,” he repeated to reinforce that in her head. Up to recent events she though they would burn and her mind reacted as such. A ball of fire engulfed his hand and he touched her with a finger. At first it was tough not to envision being burned. She would jerk instinctively but with a series of touches he got her use to the fact that the flames would not burn before tossing a sphere of flame at his feet consuming them briefly before they stepped out of the Flame Serpent saving a degree of time.

“Those were Efreeti. One seems to be at diminished power now but can still be a handful. Most of their magic you will not need to worry about but they are skilled with those blades and thus will be a danger to you.”

Disguised Efreeti …

“One sensed us, or thought he had. Fortunately we were in front of that door and he must have missed us thinking it was just the door he was sensing. I used a bit of abjuration magic in the area to mask the illusion. Abjuration was the same school of magic that warded the door so he must have thought nothing of it.

“It seems they have figured out how to open the shrine without the Elemental Masters or the Paraelementalists. Their original plane may have been to use the Elemental Spirits that comprise your Serpents. Now though they would need to find something with great elemental power to use as a key.

“It looks that a key is weakened too for a time and while I cannot be certain the powers return but the key no longer functions when it does and thus four rituals are needed more or less on the same day. And thus four types of beings. Tori only has fire and finding creatures on par with the power of an Efreeti will take a great deal of time.

“So it seems that if we strike it should be soon. Further we have to get Tori and the four Efreeti that know the ritual so they don't return at a later date.” He paused and thought. “Unless we drive her off ourselves then open the shrine, empty it and place whatever magic happens to be there elsewhere that she can't get to. I am uncertain what the shrine holds though and it may be best to keep it close … or simply destroy it … those statues seemed to be a key in opening up the shrine. If even one were destroyed it would be a major set back if there even was an alternative way of repairing it or using something else.”

A sigh of relief echoed throughout the woods when they managed to get away unscathed. She was under great pressure on the way out of the shrine, then even more so when her father wished to show that flames couldn’t harm her. Stepping back out had been twice the satisfaction than usual as the worst had finally been over though even with that revelation of being unharmed by flames she’d probably have to fight those human instincts for a while before it worked properly.

Afterwards, they had time to reflect on the things they’d just witnessed. They had a bit of time now that the witch’s plans had come to a temporary halt although there were a few problems considering how she no longer relied on catching the Elemental Masters. Her current allies were a given though the red head felt she should’ve gotten the answer herself.

Given their attire and abilities thus far Flame suspected the four may come from Sirocco, but wasn’t entirely sure what they were at the heart of their being. With Abdul nearby going the extra mile to assume they’re Efreeti should have occurred to her, but the thought eluded the young sorceress until now. So they faced at least four of them, one weaker than the others for a certain amount of time and the witch was with them as well. She didn’t like the idea of moving on them, but their chances were probably the best they were going to get while Tori had to look for other individuals with different elemental powers to open the shrine.

She had to admit that their options were limited when it came down to what they wanted to do with the shrine itself. They could be weakened themselves if they attempted to open it and be exposed for an attack. Then, there was no telling what lingered within the structure other than powerful magic. Could they resist temptation when it came down to it? There was a reason someone put a lock on the Blue Shrine which required that much effort to open, let alone figure out how. She was curious nonetheless, but maybe it’d be best to keep it shut forever.

If one were to never open it, destroying it seemed to be the most sensible option. She wasn’t going to be making that decision alone, of course, and faced Abdul with a nod back to the direction of their camp. “We should probably bring the good news back to the others. We’re going to need them.”

Still, before leaving Flame had to lay a hand on his arm, effectively asking him to stop. “What would you do with the shrine, father?” She was thinking with the human mindset, but he had the wisdom derived from an old age. Even he didn’t know what the shrine held, but they both knew Tori wanted it. She figured if anyone could place a better guess than anyone else as to what should be done with the shrine, then it had to be Abdul.

He paused and gazed at her. “Bring your mother back.” He smiled, not serious about that one. “I wouldn't be any good at Necromancy. As an Immortal you see your fair share of death. I do not know what is in the shrine but I can surmise a few things. Tori wants it so it has to enhance her power in some way, likely offensive whether through destructive magic or increasing the potency of spell effects such as with domination and the like.

“It is locked but the fact that there is a key means that it was meant to be open at some stage. It may be a simple case of containing something dangerous if it ever fell to the wrong hands. I think the locking mechanism was meant as a precaution. Four individuals have to agree or be forced to open it.

“I have a theory as to what is contained in the shrine. It is the nature of the keys.” He paused. He pondered for a moment. “You know about the three types of magic. What if I told you there was a fourth? A Primordial magic so ancient that few know about it. It fuels creation, the source, though it is only a legend that I've come across a few times.”

Whether there was actually Creation magic there if she had that right was yet to be seen. “If we did open it I would transport whatever was there to a Shadow where magic ceases to function, there are places where magic functions only at the borders to allow you to get to the Shadow. Most suppress magic while you're there like Null. Some devour magic. If this is Primordial magic it would be too dangerous to keep around if the legend is true.

“In any case one of the Elemental Masters should be kept away as a precaution. They already possess a key for fire so you couldn't be the one. Of the other three is there one we could keep back? It appears that the challenge for four of us will be great but with one of the Efreeti weakened we still have a reasonable chance.

“I should have set a fire at our base camp.” Abdul concluded more to himself. He waited for her to dismiss the Flame Serpent before continuing on back to their camp the long way.

Magic always tended to be a bit more complicated than expected and even with her memories intact Flame didn’t have an all too firm grasp on the matter. With Creation magic thrown into the mix it didn’t get any better, but at the very least she now knew why Tori shouldn’t have any access to it. If Abdul claimed it’d be too dangerous to keep around once they got their hands on it, then what would the witch do with it?

But, there was a difference between Tori and Abdul. Flame trusted him to do the right thing, regardless of what they found when they ended up opening the Blue Shrine. She’d summon that particular thought to mind once the whole group had a chance to talk about what should be done. For the moment, Flame decided to leave all that behind and with it the question as to who should keep away from the Shrine while the others saw to the act of securing it.

“You should have ..” She was the one smiling now before the Flame Serpent had been dismissed and both father and daughter began to make their way back to camp. Silence graced their path aside from occasional wildlife and the sound of their foosteps. It was quiet, eerily so as the young woman lowered her gaze in thought. She didn’t mean to think about what may happen, which member of their group remained behind and the consequences of that choice, but there was nothing else on her mind. The outcome of their actions would be decided soon enough, but it felt like an end to all things, so prominent, so final.

However, something did come to mind when the journey went on and a certain item could be felt in one of her inner pockets. She looked up to him, ruby red eyes filled with a glint of shame. “I have something to tell you. Something about what I did while I was visiting Cain.” She began to fumble for it, then summoned the vial containing her mother’s memory about the day Abdul crossed paths with her. “Stealing is no good deed, but .. it has my handwriting on it. I thought it best to keep it for myself rather than leave it there, where it can be accessed by anyone who drops in.”

Flame held it in front of her, thumb grazing the label which read “Nemesis” when her gaze dropped to it for a moment. “If you don’t want to decide what to do with it, I’ll hold onto it a little longer. I just wanted to let you know I discovered how you two met back in the day.” She recalled he told a different story initially, but the truth painted a more vile encounter than one would be comfortable to tell. “It’s nothing I’d want to look at again anytime soon for what happened before you saved Chloe, but it’s one of the few things she actually experienced the very day she was fortunate enough to meet you. I carry a piece of her with me everywhere I go because of how I came to be, but this is something of hers, something I can look at and know these are her feelings, her voice, her words. I just .. I just wish the contents were a bit different.”

They proceeded in silence for the most part. She thought about matters, then they stopped. He gazed at her, his earlier lie unveiled as he shifted his focus to the vial she produced. He had been about to inquire about her looking at the memory but paused long enough for that to be answered.

“Chloe is part of you and that memory is yours. It was initially Chloe's handwriting on that vial but yours is identical. The fire elemental fused into your being wasn't literate. It isn't the best of memories, I wouldn't have expected you to recover that as technically it happened before your birth, just as you would not be able to acquire the memories of the elemental that was used … but being part of you it is yours.”

He paused, she had noted that he used the word birth rather then creation. “Can you forgive me for my deceit? I thought it was for the best, I never knew Chloe had that particular memory saved, it must have meant a great deal to her.[]/color]

“That assassin is still out there as far as I know. He never came around again as far a I know. But do as you will with that vial.” He grinned as he looked to it. He left her to do what she wished with the vial.

Getting back to the camp there was some discussion as to the strength of Tori's forces and who would be sitting this one out. Fire wasn't a strong point against the Efreeti but as noted she was in no danger in giving up a spirit they needed and her new found gift in her immunity to flames would be a blessing. She would need to be paired with someone else though that offered a different sort of attack option.

Nicodemus would have to stay at the camp and it came to some debate as to their best options. Roc could handle the ogres and goblins, creatures he had been well trained in fighting. But he could also be paired with her again as they had been use to working together.

Either she could join him in the courtyard or Abdul. Typhoon might be great against the Efreeti, she knew of his true nature too. It was a choice between him and Gale, all the Masters were strong with their element. Roc was the strongest, not in magic, but what he could do without it. Who was the better fit without magic not that it was likely to come down to that.

One of them would stay behind though. Roc was too useful in conflicts and her element was one they already possessed so they would not be loosing anything if her's was obtained. There was just the matter as to the brake down of the five that would be going, two groups seemed best. Ideally only two were deemed necessary to deal with the goblins but Roc felt he could handle such on his own too especially knowing that the Efreeti would be such a challenge.

So far there had been some debate as to how to divide themselves. Not knowing of Statos' progress it was hard to say if they would have to hold out against the Paraelements afterward. In effect only two would be necessary to open the shrine and they may need to either destroy the access to the shrine or hold out, the consensus had been destroying it just in case, if they had to abandon the shrine they could come back and deal with anyone attempting to fix the access point. It was not unanimous but more or less it was something that they had eventually agreed upon.

However he chose to raise his daughter, he’d raised a kind and forgiving soul. His deceit hadn’t changed anything about their relationship. Though the word birth tended to come up every now and then, there was no doubt in her mind that she was a Golem in nature. She didn’t mind the fact anymore. Her actions weren’t based on her origins and the ones who knew the truth didn’t think of her any less than they would of a real human. Yet, Abdul had feelings for Chloe, one way or another. She had a part to play in her birth, or her creation. Whether by blood or not, Flame would never view her as anything less than her mother.

By the time they got back to camp, the vial had been stored away. She chose to keep it. The prospect of immortality remained a constant in the back of her mind and treasuring these objects from her past were bound to remind her of what once was. It’d never let her forget about the people who were close to her at one point or another.

More important matters came up in due time, of course. The Blue Shrine was within reach. Tori was there, in addition to her son and four Efreeti. They had a horde of ogres and goblins to deal with. Anything that came after had to be dealt with on the fly as they had to plan their actions based on what they knew now. In any case they intended to destroy the shrine and that was fine with her even though curiosity filled her with an urge to explore what may be hidden away within the shrine itself.

She thought it best to team up with Roc as to clear the courtyard more efficiently. If he insisted that the goblins wouldn’t be much trouble, however, Flame would go with the others. Though fire wouldn’t be effective against Efreeti, the Flame Serpent for example could apply physical force all the same. How efficient that may be, Flame didn’t know, but it was better than nothing. She could draw upon the other elements, but they’d never get close to what Typhoon would be able to achieve with his element. He seemed to be the man for the job.

That left Gale out of the whole scenario, unfortunately. She didn’t want her to feel entirely worthless, but there was no practical reason to pick her over Typhoon. Not that it made her feel any better about making this decision or even bringing it up to the others. Thus far Elves appeared to be quite proud, and therefore arrogant on occasion which didn’t make the young sorceress all too comfortable with the choice as there was a chance Gale may act on her own, but it was the most sensible one in her opinion.

In the end the group had a say in all this. The young woman stated her opinions when needed, but ultimately her eyes fell back on Nicodemus as they were wrapping things up. Flame looked forward to seeing him again once everything came to a close. A bright future seemed closer than ever. If only the chance of failure wasn’t in the way of all the things they had to look forward to.

Abdul being an Efreet himself knew how best to handle them even without his flames. It had been some time since he had to go hand to hand but he felt that his sword skills were far better then the “young ones”. How he knew their age had been anyone's guess, a sense or something subtle. Maybe even the fact that only the young would be working beneath the witch instead of having the power to command.

Gale was upset about being left out of matters. It didn't make matters any easier that Roc commented that dealing with the filth of goblins should have been beneath her. It seemed to fire her up even more though Nicodemus ended the matter quickly. It was obvious but clever at the same time, something everyone else had to see clearly but it was that same pride that blinded Gale.

“I need the strongest Elemental Master here with me in the event that we need to alter the plan and have the Paraelemental Masters t deal with.” Strongest was subjective. They were all strong with their magic, Roc was probably the strongest because he was the most versatile outside of pure magic. But for the sake of making things easier Roc did not say anything and Gale relented.

Roc did not mind her assistance. He didn't need it but didn't deny it either. Abdul and Typhoon would deal with the Efreet and Tori if possible, the numbers were against them but with Flame's assistance the courtyard shouldn't take long to clear.

Teams decided on they made their trip back to the shrine. They timed it so it was late evening by the time they arrived. They had been aware that their magic had not been impeded and could use that to conceal themselves. Abdul and Typhoon moving in first to get into position. She was left with Roc who grinned at her.

“Are you ready for this? If you don't want to kill them you can cause chaos. Goblins are real easy o spoke with magic. Ogres not as much but I'll get their attention. The hate dwarfs, all giant types do, and their motto of might makes right will have them lining up to face me once I fell a few of them.”

Some trouble began to arise with Gale, but Nicodemus was quick to act on the Elf’s pride which helped them out in the long run. They had a plan and split up into their respective groups before making their way back to the shrine. She went off with Roc and braced herself for whatever awaited them in the coming minutes, maybe even hours if things became difficult. The sun was already beginning to set. There’d be no sunrise for them if they managed to screw up too badly.

“Someone’s in a good mood.” Flame noted when his grin first caught her attention, but the sorceress couldn’t share more than a nervous smile of her own. Maybe he was eager for a good fight. She lacked that particular mindset, unfortunately. The battle ahead would have a lot of impact not only for them, but for any portion of the world that involved the witch in some fashion. She hated to admit it, but her limbs felt a bit like mush, to the point she had to clench a fist every now and then to make herself feel more in control of her own senses.

Ultimately, the red head shook her head. She had to brush these concerns aside and focus as her gaze locked with Roc’s. “I’ve got some experience fighting them the day I was captured, but I’d prefer the cause chaos approach.” Scouting ahead let her know they had plenty of tents. Setting fire to them in some way, perhaps hurling motes of flame at them would be enough to get started. At least it’d serve them well to force the sleeping ones to panic to some degree. Or so she thought. She’d improvise from there, casting flames into their midst to separate small groups and get them to scurry someplace else.

That didn’t mean Flame would ignore the possibility that some may see and approach her, or that the whole thing was taking too long to resolve peacefully. “If push comes to shove, I’ll do what I must. Abdul and Typhoon may have trouble on their own and I don’t want to waste too much time trying to scatter the masses. There’s too much at stake to be gentle until the very end.” Flame took one final breath, then nodded as her mind was as prepared for tonight as it was ever going to be. “Ready when you are.”

“If you need to surround yourself with the Flame Serpent. Even the ogres will keep at bay from the flames and I can always elevate the ground around you to give you a better view.” When she indicated that she had been ready he conjured his own serpent of stone that burst out of the earth. It laid its head against the ground and opened it's mouth as Roc gestured her to enter.

He could move through earth as easily as air and his serpent could tunnel through it. With her inside the mouth she would find that it was dark, a situation easy to rectify with a little magic. There was enough air for a few hours at least and there was little reason that they would be detected until just prior to bursting on the scene.

It would be too late. The sound of rumbling was constant as they moved but louder as the serpent breached the ground. It's mouth opened revealing the encampment and a few cocking fires. More goblins seemed active now and Roc was already in the midst of battling ogres. Three were already down with others attempting to crowd in, bringing clubs down on areas that he had been. Chunks of dirt and stone flinging up into the air sometimes whipping out at the ogres as Roc touched a stone and send it hurling in an unexpected direction.

For a few seconds chunks of earth and stone rained down near her. She had been shielded from it being inside the serpent but the goblins nearby weren't. Some were struck and killed. Others ran at the sudden explosion and serpent that emerged. A rare few grabbed weapons and moved toward her position, pretty much those few that were in arm's reach of an ogre that came her way, the half dozen goblins or so tentatively leading the way, their pace hastening the moment the ogre flattened one. As of yet they did not seem to notice her inside the serpent. Fighting had to have begun inside the shrine now so time had already begun ticking down.