章 193: 23.6 p͏a͏t͏r͏e͏o͏n͏.c͏o͏m͏/S͏t͏r͏a͏t͏o͏t͏h͏r͏a͏x͏A͏f͏t͏e͏r͏D͏a͏r͏k͏

Magic Mog with the exception of Fey stared up at the illusion flabbergasted, that is until Braddox made a cutting motion with his hand.

"Save the displays until later Baerinda, we've got work to do."

"Er, right."

Flora blinked at the dissipating illusions, then her eyes darted to Fey, then to the three minotaurs atop her back. "Ah, I see how it is. Welcome to the club girls."

The three minotaurs very carefully avoided meeting Flora's eyes.

Raeger was first in as the only one of their party with some Skills related to hiding, then came Baerinda, or rather Fey with Baerinda still atop her. The minotaur had point blank refused to get down, her legs still too wobbly, which of course she hadn't explained.

Fey had managed to settle the issue by showing just how surprisingly silent she could be despite being so large, much quieter than Baerinda could be walking by herself. Her high level of dexterity and strength allowing her careful balance on three hooves while she placed the fourth down without a single sound. That combined with her excellent awareness of how her own body was placed meant she could be almost as silent as Raeger.

Raeger hadn't been pleased with this arrangement at all, but under his captain's orders had slipped into the entrance of the cave with Fey in tow.

The shadows of the cave rolled over Fey and the three minotaurs atop her back, engulfing them in gloom. She followed after Raeger at a distance, keeping him in sight as he checked ahead at each corner of the winding cave tunnel. This continued until he halted ahead of her and waved his hand. Fey caught up and carefully peeked around the corner he had stopped by.

A vast cave met her eyes, lit from above by a shaft of sunlight where the ceiling had partly fallen in. Ahead of her were people, a pile of people six foot high, the villagers, and all quite clearly dead, their heads removed. She had to bite down on her wrist to stop a scream of anger from ripping from her throat. She heard similar noises of distress from behind her, particularly Kayla who let out a sob.

Raeger waved at her to catch her attention then silently pointed. Fey looked and saw a spiderweb of chains and manacles at the edge of the cave, and more importantly, actual living people, villagers, or what remained of them, not as many as Fey would have liked but there were survivors, survivors she could save, survivors that she could help.

Her eyes shifted once more and she found the things that had done this to the villagers.

They were many coloured, their scales bright and clean, their bodies lithe yes, but also beautiful, as though carved by a master of aesthetics, each a paragon of physicality, their colourful eyes luminous with magical power. They were talking around fires, chatting freely as they ate. What they ate nearly made Fey choke. Well, now she knew what they were doing with the heads.

A small flame of vengeful wrath sparked to life in her heart.

She looked over her shoulder at Baerinda and the minotaur nodded. It was done, the Kobogons were all under her influence.

Without hesitation she stepped into the cave fully, completely visible to the Kobogons, holding her breath, waiting for the cry of alarm to go up.

Nothing happened.

"They can't see or hear us at all," said Baerinda, "We're essentially invisible."

Fey bit her lip wondering how she was going to go about this, as a healer she really needed to check over those imprisoned.

Ellaria glanced at her as she stepped up beside her. "It's fine Fey." A dozen green and black fireballs that pulsed with a promise of agonising death bloomed to life around her, "We'll clean the trash up. Just make sure we all make it out alive."

The two bands advanced on the Kobogons. There must have been nearly four Kobogons for each of the bands' members, outnumbering them by four to one. Fey did not like their odds, illusion advantage or not.

Vivi held her sword above the neck of a Kobogon casually sitting cross-legged by a fire, a roasted human head held daintily in its claws that it occasionally took bites out of like some kind of grisly apple.

Astrid slipped from Fey's back, and immediately fell over as her jelly legs gave out, then with difficulty managed to climb to her hooves. Braddox gave her a funny look but didn't say anything as the minotaur loosed her axe and held it over the head of a Kobogon.