Conquest of Shadows (For DaBomb)

[DaBomb]

(Thanks, I had the idea a while back and I just remembered it.  Thought it would be fun to try~)


Ash wasn't quite expecting it to... vanish in a bust of flames and leave by an aroma of... what was that, brimstone? But, with something as dramatic as that she could only assume that it would ind it's way to the abyssal planes soon enough. Time would only tell when she'd get a response, so she might as well move onto something else on her plate. The succubus got up to leave the room, only jump in fright at the sudden intrusion of a voice, appearing everywhere at once. "O-Okay." She mumbled in response, sitting back down and awkwardly waiting. 


Eventually an image of a succubus appears in the circle, evidently busy with all the info of a demon lord. "Wow, I didn't expect the circle to do... all of this, it certainly worked much better than I expected." She admitted, mostly to herself, but the secretary probably knew something about that...


"Thank you, and I can say the same to you. I'm sure it comes with the genetics.  An ugly succubus wouldn't be very successful, would she?" She jests, offering the woman a wink. Her smile starts to fade once the sound of moaning finally hits her, clarifying the reason of her father's absence.  Yuck. 


Her smile quickly returned when the succubus started again. "I'm sure we'l be seeing each other again, can I have your name? I don't want to keep calling you miss. 

 

[Xatarias]

Another moan draws a the secretary's attention.


"Aw, looks like the poor thing passed out. That's the third one this hour." She rises from her seat, displaying a tantalizing amount of leg at the same time. "Seems like they need me in there. The name's Deasna darling. If you've ever got an urgent Daddy issue, I'm the girl to sort it out- I'm a bit of favorite around here."


With a wink and a blown kiss, she turns, flaunting her rear and giving a sultry "coming sir~"


The study then goes quiet as the connection cuts. While the opportunity to eavesdrop on your first demonic orgy is a no-go, it seems that the abyssal plane is only a short call away. Hopefully that would get Dad off your back, and content to stay in the shadows where he belonged. Your mission was precarious enough without Cart getting possessed on a regular basis.


The creaking of floorboards draws your attention to the stairs where a Kari stands clutching a vial filled with iridescent green fluid.


"Was that... The demonic realm?" She asks trying to banish the worried expression from her face. "I finished the herbicide! It should suit your purposes- guaranteed tentacle killing goodness."

 

[DaBomb]

"Oh, well... it was nice to meat you, Deasa." Asheroth fumbles in response, watching the sexy secretary leave to fill in a... spot. The caused an involuntary shudder, with the connection thankfully cutting out not long after. Well, at least her plan worked, better than he intended as well. She could contact her father whenever she wanted, though it was difficult for her to ind a reason to do so.  


She was still reflecting on her drawn circle, when she heard a creak, quickly turning toward the source to find a worried Kari. "Yes, it was. I was trying to set up a way to contact my father, but I ended up making something, well, even better. Could prove useful, though I don't want to be careless in its use." She quickly admitted.


"That's simply marvelous! If everything works smoothly, those blasted beasts won't continue preying on the local caravans. It's a wonder how much can be solved with the right ingredients, simply amazing.


With no objection on your part, I can leave with Cart immediately, and get this job done." 


She'd take the bottle, if Kari didn't object, and inform Cart of their departure.

 

[Xatarias]

"Sure Ash," Kari says with a slight droop to her ears. "I trust you. Just... Just be careful, alright? This big house gets a lot smaller without you here, ya know?"


Your catfolk lover gives you a gentle hug before turning back up the stairs.


Cart must have anticipated you impending departure because he stands in the ready with his customary pack just outside. You're just about to leave when a voice reaches you from the bottom of the hill.


"W-wait! Ash, I'm coming too!"


Rizzi rushes up the slope, bare feet skimming the ground as her flapping wings give a small amount of lift.


"People are saying you're heading back into the forest," she gasps, catching her breath. "That's where it all started for me, Ash. I-I need to go back there- I just need to. You've got to take me along!"

 

[DaBomb]

Asheroth tightly hugs Kari in response, smiling as the hug broke. "I don't have anything planned after this, so once I return it'll be for a while. I promise." She leans forward and lightly presses her lips against the cat morph's forehead, giving her one final embrace before making her departure. 


She wasn't very surprised to see that Cart was already prepared for travel, the wolf had a knack for guessing when he was needed and he had yet to fail her. The duo were about to leave when someone called out to them, Rizzi identified as the source as she makes her way down the hill. 


"Well, I see no reason to object, if you want to go that badly... But you are aware of the creatures that are dwelling in the forest at the moment, correct?  If you really want to come with us, we need you to stay weary.  Can you do that, Rizzi?" 

 

[Xatarias]

"Does demon-boy know you're out here? Something tells me your boyfriend wouldn't approve."


Rizzi turns on Cart with a glare.


"He's not- we aren't... This has nothing to do with Jerrin! I'm making the choice for me and no one else. I get that it's dangerous, but my life up until this moment has been defined by what that forest did to me. The answers are inside, I just know it."


The angel bites her lip nervously when she turns to you, but her gaze is steady and determined.


"I'm coming with you, Ash. I'll be careful, I promise."

 

[DaBomb]

(Not much to add from my last post.)


"And I believe you will, Rizzi. Now let's get a move on." Waving the others ahead, she walks toward the forest, to hopefully rid this threat once and for all. 

 

[Xatarias]

(Just giving you a chance to state any particular way you wanted to enter the forest. Sorry for tossing you such a sparse post :/ )


You, Rizzi, and cart quickly cross the open prairie bordering the great forest. The verdant green sprawl looms almost menacingly and though it is near midday, the light fades to an almost twilight hew as the suns rays are obstructed by dense foliage overhead. It's not long before you locate a forest path that will take you in the direction of the tentacle nest.


You lived in this forest for your entire adult life and know it well. Veronica had indicated the source of monstrous activity to be at the headwaters of a woodland stream. From your past wanderings, you remember the area to be the site of an ancient ruin- some villa or temple from a bygone civilization. The place would normally have warranted future investigation, but your powers were weak then and a few minotaurs persuaded you to keep your distance. The bull men must have vacated the area after the tentacle colony took root.


You reach the stream in a few hours and are startled to find its waters stained a murky purple that gurgles and bubbles ominously. The noxious fluid seems to be altering the nearby plant life, causing blooms of flowers reeking of sweet-smelling corruption.


"Gods," Cart murmurs into a handkerchief. "What is this stuff?"


"It must be coming from upstream," Rizzi says, delicately poking the water with a stick. "I mean, logically speaking, if its some sort of chemical."

 

[DaBomb]

Luckily, they were able to find a path to the nest without too much trouble, though it helped that she was quite familiar with the area. The place they were heading was supposed to have a number of monsters in the area, enough to steer her clear of the place. Though as they got closer and closer, she noticed the pace was abnormally... empty.  She would have expected to see one Minotaur by now, perhaps they forced out?  Regardless, it'd make exploring the area easier. 


"I... surely haven't seen that before." She mutters in response, watching Rizzi poke a stick into the mess of purple water. "Whatever it is... it isn't staying in the water, the flora nearby seem to get a kick from it.  Their aroma is ... sinful." This was very abnormal.  She didn't think just tentacle monsters could cause this... could they?  Well, they were going to find out soon enough whether they wanted to, or not...


"If we can't find the source, we'll just have to settle for a sample. Now... let's look into this. Some thing like this is easily worth investigating."

 

[Xatarias]

You progress up the stream, carefully avoiding the various foliage that eagerly sway towards you with dripping vines and flowers. More than once, you have to burn away a corrupted plant that manages to cling to you or your companions. Your magical sense buzzes as you near the sight of the old ruins, confirming your hunch that something more sinister than tentacle monsters is afoot.


The ruin soon comes into view- a jumbled collection of skewed columns and steps that straddles the stream. It doesn't look quite as you remembered it. Where once pure, cool water flowed from its numerous fountains and grates, now sticky purple fluid oozes, polluting the waterway below. The stonework is also choked with a web of pulsating vines- the large pyramid at the center of the complex entirely covered.


A blissful moo reaches your ears. Cautiously rounding the corner, you are met with the sight of a massive minotaur rutting a corrupted flower. A breast-light growth is jammed into his mouth, providing him sustenance and allowing for a ceaseless harvest of seed from his churning balls. The muscly bull might have proved a challenging adversary... If he weren't so thoroughly occupied with his new occupation as a cum-pump.


'I-I'm getting a feeling," Rizzi whispers while looking around at the perverted temple grounds. "Something old... Familiar. But it's so faint, like something is smothering it. Something good was here, Ash. But this-these... Things are killing it-her... We've got to do something!"

 

[DaBomb]

The closer she got to the ruins, the more she could feel the faint power coming from it. Something powerful was the cause of this and she could only guess the tentacle beasts were a byproduct of it. This corruption was most likely spreading, meaning this wasn't something she could ignore.  This was going to get worse if nothing was done about it, which meant retreat was not an option. 


"Well, I guess that's why we haven't seen any minotuars." The Demoness murmurs to her companions, eyeing the corrupted flower that was sucking the creatures cum like an industrialized machine. "If I had to guess, this guy isn't the only one hooked up like this. This corruption is most likely getting substantial nourishment from the constant cum supply. She exchanges a glance to each of her companions. 


"I wasn't expecting something as... dire as this an I don't think this can be ignored. Any nearby is town is in danger and it'll only get worse the more this spreads. Looks like we're going to have to save the local area from this corruption. Ready yourself, because this situation just got a lot more difficult." 


Fire bursts from her hands as she turns back to the minotaur. She unleashes a torrent of fire toward the corrupted flower, making sure to burn it to a crisp. If the minotaur hadn't recovered yet, she'd cast thrust her hands forward, making a triangle with her hands. "Di'nth Lav'atn!" She sent forth a strong mental domination spell, to make sure this unintelligent beast fell under her control. 


Gonna use a special point on the Domination spell. (Also still got that staff from the half-elf shopkeeper.  Pretty sure that buffed mental spells)

 

[Xatarias]

You burn away the guzzling flower in short order, which causes the bull to stumble and blearily look around. Far from the raging temperament that you have come to expect from males of his species, the minotaur seems  slightly miffed that you took away his fuck-sleeve and is just about to wander over to another flower when you hit him with your spell.


The beastman stiffens at your psychic touch and lets out a bit of a whimper before you overwhelm his defenses and dominate him. The ease in which your mind magic works startles you and speaks volumes as to the pathetic mental state of your victim. It's pretty clear that prolonged exposure to these plants not only induces mind-wrenching lust, but also a decrease in willpower and intelligence... Not that minotaurs had a lot to begin with.


A few short commands confirms your control over the bull. It would do anything you directed for the spell's duration. Something tells you that having not one but two hulking beastmen ("hey!") would definitely come in handy.


Deeper in the choked temple grounds, you come to the foot of the pyramid. A massive door barred with stone cogwork prevents further exploration, but the density of the vines and the direction of their pulsating flow leaves little doubt that the source of corruption is inside.


Before you can contemplate how to get inside, a massive roar causes you to turn. The rest of the minotaurs must have been set loose!

 

[DaBomb]

The Charm spell seemed to had worked, and the bull was under her power. That was a plus, having one more set of muscles was never a bad thing, made traveling feel a bit safer. Heading deeper though the foliage, the find themselves at a large stone door, barred by a stone contraption. The Demoness stoops closer, seeking to study it, only to be interrupted by load raring behind her.

"That's not good in the slightest. This corruption has more power over the Minotaur than I would have imagined." She thinks out loud, frowning. "We may have no choice other than getting inside before they can. If that fails... we have to fight."

She snaps her fingers to the beast. "I want you to stand guard behind us, buy us as much time as you can. Mae sure no one passes, alright?" She looks to the others. "Cart, Rizzi, get ready for a fight, we may have no other option. I can only hope this door doesn't have any unseen difficulties..." Asheroth turns toward the door, tracking the gears, attempting to find a way to open the door.

 

[Xatarias]

Your bovine servant pauses to pick up a sizeable boulder before stomping off to do your bidding. He gets no more than a few yards away when the rest of his herd appears.

The minotaur tribe has been utterly ensnared by the dark forces permeating the temple. Their muscular bodies are covered in writhing, thorny vines and their veins pulse erratically, darkened by the corrupting venom flowing through them. There must be half a dozen or so- luckily your own cow seems larger than all of them and knocks them down like bowling pins, roaring while laying about with his improvised weapon. He's doing well but likely can't hold them off for long. You needed to get this door open- now.

(Intellect roll: 16)

You desperately examine the puzzle-like contraption running the full length of the massive stone double doors. With Rizzi and Cart's help, you manage to clear away most of the vines covering it and take full inventory of the intricate assembly of cogs and gears. After what feels like hours, you locate a diminutive switch that you are certain will open the passage. You slap it down and... Nothing!

The situation becomes truly desperate as your dominated minion falls, overwhelmed by his herd-brothers. Cart surges forward to hold them off for a bit longer while Rizzi cowers behind your legs.

You turn to the numerous angelic figures carved into the temple stonework and an idea comes to you. Maybe these weren't gods, but priests. It's possible that Rizzi's affliction was more common in ancient times and was the mark of some long forgotten goddess- priests of a sort. The question was, how did they access the temple's inner sanctum... Come to think of it, that switch flipped awfully easily for something centuries old. Maybe...

Yes! Thing was slowly rising back up to its initial position. It needed to be stopped at the right position to flip the tumblers inside. A weight? What could possibly weigh so slight as to trip such an intricate mechanism?

Your eyes fall upon Rizzi's feathered wings.

 

[DaBomb]

(I think I get where you're coming from. Though if i'm incorrect, this'll get.. awkward. Also, sorry for the short post. Don't really have the energy to make anything detailed.)

Ash nearly jumps with excitement, somehow managing to figure out the solution. "Rizzi!" Ash yells, turning to face her. "Don't ask questions, put your wings on that switch! hurry!"

If that managed to get things to work, she beckon Cart to follow and hurry inside the temple.

 

[Xatarias]

Rizzi looks up from her position, tear-stained eyes wide and trembling

"W-what? I-I don't..."

For one terrible second, you think the girl has been paralyzed with fear. But after you gesture to the switch, comprehension crosses her face and her wings snap open. Biting her lip, Rizzi splays her angelic appendages like a fan in front of the switch as it rises. The mechanism slows, brushing up against the feather... And a deep mechanical thunk causes the entire door to shudder. The cogs begin to turn, their movement forcing an opening to widen between the massive stone doors.

A roar draws your attention back to Cart. Your faithful enforcer is being overwhelmed. Prickling his body are multiple thorns received from grappling with the vine-covered Minotaurs. The corrupt venom flowing into him causes him to stumble even as you beckon him back to the door. He manages to throw off one of his attackers with a mightly blow from his forearm, but there are still two remaining...

 

[DaBomb]

Asheroth nearly jumps with joy as the cogs start turning, the doors opening wide to the temple. The Demoness turns back the Cart, only to see him struggle with the remaining Minotaur. Her teeth clenching with frustration, static energy coursed throughout her hands, growing into arcs of lighting as she spread her hands forth, sending out bolts from her fingers. "Hurry inside!" She grunts through her teeth, trying to buy enough time or the others, before she ran inside the temple herself.

(I'm back! I should be posting frequently once more. Sorry for the wait.)

 

[Xatarias]

(Intellect roll: 10)

Your spell surges towards the attackers. The crackling bolts directly hit the corrupted bovines, but the vines covering their bodies seem to have an insulating affect. Rather than being reduced to charred corpses, they simply stagger as the electricity wreaks havoc on their nervous systems. You wouldn't be able to kill them with this method, but it might just buy enough time for Cart to escape.

Frustration crosses Cart's face as his movemesifnts become more sluggish. Were it not for the poison in his veins, you know he would be delivering the killing blow to your enemies. He retreats to the door, his breath coming out in ragged puffs.

"I... I don't have much more in me, boss," He gasps, kneeling inside the doorway. "Head feels... Funny."

The corrupting magics of the vines must be getting to him. Coupled with the demonic taint naturally flowing through his veins, your faithful companion was barely managing to keep his wits about him. Without Cart presenting a wall of muscle, you would be forced to face down two charging minotaurs the moment your spell wore off.

 

[DaBomb]

"You did well, Cart. There'll be plenty of time to rest once inside." Ash encourages, watching the wolf-morph retreat from the corner of her eye, still focused on the approaching minotaurs. Her lightning spell seemed to have little lasting effect on the raging beasts, merely buying them time for their next course of actions. "Look for a way to close these doors!" She yells back to the others, backing into the temple herself, muttering her words of arcane power. She casts a wall of fire in front of the temple, attempting to ward away the plant infected beasts.

 

[Xatarias]

Heat washes over your skin as the temple entrance is bathed in roaring flames. Through your conjured wall of hellfire, you can see the minotaurs shirk back, clearly unwilling to brave the flames.
Curious. A full-berserk minotaur would usually bear any amount of pain to get at their enemy.

"I think I found a lever!," Rizzi calls out, ineffectively pushing against a bar-like protrusion next to the doors. "Gods damn it, I think it's stuck!"

Luckily you have a specialist in getting things "unstuck". Fatigued as he is, Cart still has the strength to hobble over to your winged companion and throw his weight against the ancient machinery. There is a groan of protest before the lever is thrown, setting numerous cogs and gears into motion. The doors boom shut just as your wall of fire dissipates, leaving two very frustrated bovines to pound on the other side.

"T-that was too close," Rizzi mumbles. "I know you said it would be dangerous, but I didn't think..."

A quick cantrip lights the interior of the tunnel entrance, allowing you to inspect your surroundings while your companions recover. The strange hieroglyphs you noted earlier line the walls, floor, and ceiling. Running your hand along the intricate carvings, a shiver of power runs through you, not unlike the first time you entered Hecate's temple. Detect Magic makes you aware of a nexus of energy deep within the temple, pulsating like some great heart.

 

[DaBomb]

"I pray that we find another means to exit this temple. I have a feeling they'll stay at these doors for longer than we'd like..." Snapping her fingers, a faint ball of light forms, granting a faint light to the dark room. "I'm not sure if anything has gotten into this temple, but ready yourselves just in case." She answers Rizzi, offering her a small smile.

"These glyphs continue. I can only imagine how ancient..." The Demoness utters in awe, her hand lightly sliding across the stone surface. "And they have faint traces of magic, in fact..." Her eyes trace the arcane aura, stopping at what seems to be the largest concentration of it. "There's a huge reservoir at what I assume is the center." She casts a gaze at Cart. "Would you like a short period of rest, Cart? We may have more to challenges to overcome, and I would like to be prepared."

 

[Xatarias]

"I-I'll be alright," Cart says, panting slightly. "Big bastards just took me by surprise. Just give me a few..."

You're not so certain. A cursory glance tells you that the wolfman is being overwhelmed by the vines' poison. The veins of his eyes are tinted purple and he moves slowly, as if untrusting of his own body. A break might let him catch his breath, but it wouldn't do much to quench the corruption flowing through his veins.

"I'm sure you'll be fine!" Rizzi says patting his furry forearm reassuringly. "There's something about this place... I'm sure we'll find something that can help.

"R-right...," Cart mutters weakly.

It too much further down the tunnel when you encounter yet more vines. The temple is overrun with them, choking passageways and pulsing with sticky corruption. Best as you can tell, the flow is all directed downward towards the energy nexus.

You come to a long, spiral staircase. It seems to go on forever, winding downward beyond the illumination of your light spell.

"T-this is it," Rizzi says quietly. "The thing making everything so sick."

You can feel it too. The magical energy from before is there, but you also sense another presence. Something sinister lurked in the darkness below. The vines were leeching the natural energies of the temple and funneling it all in one place. Making something grow stronger. This amount of power meant a challenging fight was ahead... But also great opportunity.

 

[DaBomb]

"Cart, modesty is not what i'm after right now. We are most likely trapped in this temple until we slay whatever manner of being that is the source of these vines. Take a breather, calm your nerves, do whatever you need to rest yourself." Ash replies. "I doubt a few minutes we matter. In the mean time, let's see if this concoction Kari came up with with these, as they do the beasts."

The Demoness pulls out the toxic liquid that she was given, and begins to lightly pour it on the nearest vine cluster.

 

[Xatarias]

You watch as the liquid sinks into the plants flesh. An acrid scent fills the air and you hear a light sizzle. A black spot appears, spreading steadily outward. As the vine undulates, it transports more poison-laced fluid.

Kari's invention seems to be accelerating in effectiveness, spreading to surrounding vines and causing them to fall from the walls dead and shriveled. You watch as the process continues, necrotic vines blackening down the halls and stairwell, out of sight.

That's when the screaming starts. An unearthly howls boils up from the shadowy stairs, causing you to instinctively cover your ears.

"WRETCHED FLESHLINGS! HOW DARE YOU HARM MY BEAUTIFUL CHILDREN!"

Well whatever it is down there, it was definitely aware of you now. And it wasn't happy.

 

[DaBomb]

The loud sizzle that came with the drop of acid was ever so satisfying and it only continued to make progress. Black spread across the vines at a surprising pace, the vine soon shriveling up and falling to ground, continuing ever more.

"That worked we-" The demoness covered her ears, as the piercing scream arouse. A loud voice coming from the center of the temple, berating the trespassers for their sin.

"Well. We may have just destroyed our element of surprise, but that stuff is still traveling down the vines. So, we may have made our opponent a bit weaker." She pauses for a moment, looking back to the others.

"Are we ready? This is going to be a foe we have yet to face the likes of, I just want you all to realize this... "

 

[Xatarias]

Cart stands a little straighter, still tired looking but a little more clear eyed.

"Ready boss. The usual? I hold them down and you set them on fire?"

Rizzi meanwhile, looks between you, tapping her fingertips together hesitantly. The winged girl is hardly a fighter, but leaving her behind entails its own risks. That and she seems to have an unusual connection to this place.

"I'll erm... Stay out of the way!," She declares brightly. "Go team?"

(Insight roll: 14)

The darkness below is ominously silent now. Whoever was doing the shrieking must be content to wait for you, waiting to strike... Of course, with an inkling of what you were in for, you have the opportunity to ready a spell or some other action as you descend. Also, with Cart not at 100%, it might be wise to give him some direction for the coming battle. You definitely smell the the sickening perfume of those corrupted flowers and given the wolf man's already-compromised condition, it wouldn't take much to send him into lust-berserk mode.

 

[DaBomb]

"Cart, I want you to be on the defensive on this. Do not over exert yourself, realize that if you lose control, you become an enemy to us. I want you to focus on protecting me and Rizzi, rather than attack the enemy. Can you do that?" Her eyes fix upon Cart, fixating that this was non-negotiable. In the mean time, she readied a fireball mixed with an acid spell, waiting to unleash the deadly combination at a moment's notice.

(Exactly what spells do I have access to at the moment? I don't want to cast anything I wouldn't know.)

 

[DaBomb]

(Also, i'd like to store a special point into my held spell, when cast. How many do I get/have left?)

 

[Xatarias]

Spoiler

Hmm, well I usually considered Ash a sorceress. Magic is a pretty fluid concept in my system and I generally don't bother with spell slots or anything similar. If you want some inspiration, I think the D&D list is a pretty good place to start. Anything 3rd level and below seems well within Ash's capabilities.

That said, it's probably not reasonable for the PC to to have access to every spell under the sun, so I'll ask you to select a few that you feel Ash would have in her repertoire. If there's an obscure one you feel would be well suited for an upcoming quest, you'll have to go through the motions of buying a scroll/visiting a library/etc. I know there's an official spells known table and the whole business of spontaneous vs. prepared spell casting, but I'd prefer not to get bogged down with details

The walls of the tunnel flicker as your light spell mixes with the radiant discharge from your readied spell. Your right hand glows with the molten power of a fireball while your left is charged with the sickly green hue of a acidic orb. You bring your hands together, sweat beading on your brow as you try to merge the two devastating pieces of destruction magic. A tense second passes as you exert your will- and try not to turn you and your companions into piles of ash.

(I'm going to have you spend your special point for casting an attack spell with two elemental types. If both those types are relevant (nervously looks at boss's health), you'll do more damage, but you won't have a bonus to hit/crit)

When your casting is complete, a ball of noxious flame hovers ominously between your outstretched hands. Success!

The giddiness you feel is somewhat curbed by the surprised and fearful expressions of your companions. Clearly they didn't expect magic this potent to be within your grasp. Cart wipes the look away, replacing it with a nervous smile.

"No problem boss, I'll just stay back while you do your thing. Wouldn't want to get in the way of... Whatever that is."

 

[DaBomb]

Spoiler

Would it be safe to say that I know about 10 spells at the moment? (Not including cantrips.) I'll whip out a small list in a while with that number in the meantime, editing it based on your decision.

Asheroth couldn't say she was a bit nervous with this mixture of arcane, so it was of no surprise that a sigh of relief escaped from her lips when she succeeded. "Well, that turned out well. I'm sure this will eat away at any plant matter that I come across, obviously with you guys safely behind me." Ash let out a small chuckle, unable to mask the nervousness embedded into it.

"I'll call it... Hm." She offers the orb floating in her hands a look of thought. "Scorching Burn? ... Melting Heat?" She looks to the others. "I'll uh... work on it.For now, let's just go."

Asheroth leads the group forward to the depths of the temple, steeling herself for whatever threat was to come.

(I'll use another special point for shooting the ball at the big bad guy, if I have any remaining.)