Death and Tide

[Mirach]

"I can't see through the protective spells," Death said. "How he looks doesn't say anything about how he really is though. He is a hunter, used to not show any weakness. (Dice says 2 for his health.) If I make the illusion appear at the gate, can you navigate it from there?"

[VisAnastasis]

" I am aware of the surrounding through the senses of my trees. I can manage to respond to the surrounding. " Cernunnos whispered, seeming to try to encourage himself, as it was a big step for him - literally. " Just wait until I stand up - you won't have much use of the sitting illusion, " he said frailly, and he hesitantly and regretfully let go of the snake first, leaving it at Tide's cloak, and gritted his teeth firmly and had to shut his eyes tightly for a moment, as the pain that was dulled with Death's presence returned sharply once he let go of him.

[Mirach]

"Let me lie around your neck," Death said. "I won't project that into the illusion and you can focus on the task better if you're not in pain."

[VisAnastasis]

The pain was too great, and any hesitance that creature could have had was fading in comparison.
" Are you sure you'll be comfortable. Be careful not to slip... " he murmured unsurely, and he slowly picked him up anew and let him climb and entangle around his neck, sighing with relief, as he indeed couldn't do this alone.

[Mirach]

Death assured that the demon feels no pain, and only then he projected the illusion just in front of the gate.

(Hunter has 3 for perception)

[VisAnastasis]

( Cernunnos sneak success rolled 3 too, so it should be something on the border... Let's see what we can do. )

It was so much easier for the creature to focus when there was no pain, but despite painlessness, the injury was still there, and his illusion couldn't move any faster than creature could, half walking half crawling, as he couldn't lean well on his injured leg. His progress was slowed down with it, and it was noisier than the creature hoped, so while not seeing him yet, the hunter did notice something was not right, and have a feeling something was going on and that there was someone else there.

[Mirach]

(4) The spirit didn't react and it seemed like he didn't notice anything - but whether that was true or a ruse, that was hard to tell.

[VisAnastasis]

Demon hoped he may have been in luck, and it encouraged it to go faster. It gritted its teeth as it quickened its step and left to the hall in try to get as far in space as possible in a projection, to be close to the river as possible, knowing that Tide can't get out unless he acts as decent enough distraction. He put all he could into reaching one part of the stream under the bridge, further from the part of the river where the hunter was currently, despite his injured leg slowed him down. (3)

[Mirach]

The hunter still didn't move, although he inconspicuously observed the demon. He was hurt himself, and didn't want to attack from an uncertain position or fall into possible trap.

[VisAnastasis]

( I got 1 on how he'll manage running this time... Ouch :D Let's see what we could do, it has to be quite a fail this time for such low number )

Despite his best efforts, Cernunnos was just too weakened by the fever he still had, and by strain to both walk without leaning on walls and be observant of surroundings on the outside. At one point he tripped, and his illusion fell headfirst into the stones on the shore, couple meters far from the river - while he himself, being in the hall by now, fell headfirst onto the stone floor, rolling over once with sudden impact. (and rolling for damage from the fall... 4 ) He couldn't hold back and he yelped with pain, as one branch of his brittle looking horns snapped in half with the fall upon it, and while he was otherwise mostly only scratched, he was disoriented at that moment, not being able to focus well and needing to collect himself in distress ( roll for concentration was 2 )

[Mirach]

Death held on to him tightly to not get crushed in the fall.

The hunter narrowed his eyes and gripped his sword tightly. He stood up, limping a bit as well. Then he started circling the demon, trying to cut off his escape route to tge fortress.

[VisAnastasis]

(Cernunnos's perception: 3) Creature figured out that he got hunter's attention, but was too dazed to figure out much else, or what he is planning. His eyes swell with miserable tears, but he blinked them away.
" So... So useless... " words escaped his lips with pain, emotional rather than physical this time, as he felt desperate with not being able to do anything right. He gritted his teeth then, though, and his heart beat fast in distress he was being put through, and he was sweating, but all his attention was focused on the river, few meters before him, the river he was supposed to get to in their plan but failed to do. With gritted teeth and occasional hiss, he took part of his broken up horn, and he would stick it into the little holes between stones of the fortress floor and use it to help push himself forward, slowly and painstakingly crawling towards the water as if his life depended on it. ( How good he's being at it: 3 too. )

[Mirach]

The hunter observed him cautiously, trying to guess his intent. When he understood that the demon is trying to reach the water, he made a logical assumption that he has a good reason for it, maybe that water would make him stronger. He wanted to prevent that, and so he changed his route and circled do that he would come between the demon and the river, quite close to the shore (6 for that). There he took a firm stand, observing the crawling creature.

[VisAnastasis]

Creature crawled as much as it could, but suddenly it froze in movement when it realized how close the hunter was in front of him. In that moment of fear, it didn't matter that he was inside the fortress - with his heightened awareness of nature outside, that was all the sharper with lifting of the shadows, he felt as if he was there before him, and the horror in his eyes as he looked up from the ground to the creature that stood before the illusion was real.
 
He gulped, and he seemed overwhelmed by some heavy, suffocating feeling. Unexpectedly, he smiled at the hunter, watching him sadly, like someone trying to keep up a brave face when terrified.
" You... know what? " he rasped out hoarsely on Spirit language. " That's just really not fair... "

[Mirach]

The hunter narrowed his eyes suspiciously for a little moment, but he has been a hunter for a long time, and learnt to not talk to demons or let himself be drawn into a debate. Limping, he circled closer and once he was in striking distance, he attacked immediately. (4)

[VisAnastasis]

It was an instictive response of fear, and Cernunnos couldn't move forward, but he rolled aside as quickly as he could, barely avoiding the attack (5). He was full of anger though, and wrath that he was just ignored and treated like wild animal seemed to have overpowered everything else. Death could see that in his feverish mind Cernunnos forgot all about being supposed to give a signal - there was only a moment of grief and lashing out, as creature growled and struck the stone with his hand. Actually, his clap echod deep below and wide as he seemed to have called upon the help of the trees around them, and from the ground, like tentacles, sharp rooths rose toward the hunter to strike him, however sharp, not to fast though ( 3).

[Mirach]

The hunter evaded the roots (5), and thinking that was the trap he expected, he attacked with full strength he could muster, but he was hurt himself and faltered in the attack (2). But Cernunnos did achieve his goal - his full focus was on the demon now.

[VisAnastasis]

Death could see that bitterness and wrath has blinded Cernunnos, though, and that he wasn't in state capable of giving him signal, as he was fully into an apparent fight. The rush of adrenaline gave him enough strength to roll over to the other side (5) and he growled angrily.
" Such confidence in malice! Such vile confidence! I hate... I hate... I bloody hate people like you! "  He screamed angrily, hitting the floor with his hands, attack with each empashis of the accusing words. It seemed as if the Forest around them shared Cernunnos's wrath and acted alongside him to protect him, and the feeling was foreboding as the next line of quick brief attacks from the rooths came, each of varying strength, as it was hard for demon to be too accurate in anger ( 1, 6, 4, 2, 3 ).

[Mirach]

(3,1,5,1,4)

The spirit did his best to evade or deflect the attacks, but the second one hit him with full strength, almost impaling him. Still he fought on, deflecting the following ones more or less successfully, getting just a shallow cut from a weaker one. He attacked the summonner of the roots then, although weakened by his wounds (2).

While they fought, Death was trying to hold on to Cernunnos with all his strength to not get crushed under him (6). Seeing the demon's rage in fight, he assumed that the spirit is focused on him, and as he saw that Cernunnos won't give a signal to Tide, he called to him through the cloak.

[VisAnastasis]

" I'm going..." Tide nodded, and he opened the door as quietly as he could and tried to sneak up to get as close to the river as he could(4)

Cernunnos was still fully immersed, feverish, and angry. He dodged once again (5), being surprisingly resiliant, but then his anger seemed to meet his sorrow as he noticed he has injured the Spirit, and he just broke down in tears.
" Why? Why do you make me do this? I don't want this!" He went while hitting the stone weakly, as he attacked anew, but this time more poorly due to his conflicted feelings.(1, 3, 2)

[Mirach]

The spirit was focused on the demon, and did not notice Tide slipping past (1). His defense was weakening though, as he was losing blood from the wounds he got in the previous fight, but also the one from the root (1, 2, 2).

[VisAnastasis]

Tide got to the water and entered it, walking under it to be as close to them and have as good view as it was possible, waiting to see what could be a good moment to attack from behind, but waiting to see how things will go yet.

Cernunnos could see he weakened the spirit a lot in his wrath, and when hunter staggered and did not attack him again after using all strength to defend himself, his anger seemed to dissipate, and in the moment of weakness, he got hopeful.
" I don't want to kill you. Stop this madness, please! " he asked hoarsely on spirit language, raising his hands from the ground to air vulnerably, as if hoping to show he's not going to attack again if the creature doesn't either. " You don't have to do this! It's wrong! "

[Mirach]

The hunter did not attack, but it wasn't clear if he was considering the words, expected a trap, or was just too hurt and weakened to attack himself (2). Instead, he tightened his grip on the sword, prepared to defend himself.

[VisAnastasis]

It was a very brief moment of reprieve, and Cernunnos didn't want to fight and his strength was waning too after such big exertion, his hands covered in bruises and scratches (3). But still, the reprieve gave him hope that maybe, maybe at least once, he will be listened to, and though being feverish his words were little incoherent, he rushed to say them now that he had a chance.
" We are both hurt, I can not stand, and you can barely stand - what is the point? " he whispered quietly and hoarsely, hoping, against all odds, that he may find common ground. " You got hurt fighting the things in the river, didn't you? They... were terrible. They hunted me for a long time, too. They hunted many poor creatures of the forest, and I could do nothing. " he gulped. " I... I am thankful, for what you did. I could do nothing on my own... I don't want to kill someone that freed this forest from that terrible evil... "

[Mirach]

The hunter made a step towards him (3), but with the next one, he fell (1). His wounds were too serious, and he had no strength to fight anymore. "Fine, I will just bleed out then," he muttered wryly. "But I'll be back. I know where you live now..."