Eirynor stiffles a snort of a laugh at Poe's comment. He really did not want to give Edgar more of a reason to want to stab him. The stink-eye the half-elf kept shooting him as they regrouped with Kamille and Zarius was at least a little amusing.

Zarius takes note of the tension between the two and gives Eirynor a quizzical head tilt. The fact that the swordsman arrived with the other members of Kamille's troupe and was not hidden definitely suggested something had happened. Zarius glances down and notes the wound to Eirynor's torso. He also notes the abrasion on Edgar's face. Ah. Well, that explains it.

You were not supposed to get in a fight. Zarius signs to him.

It was a misunderstanding. The half-elf replies.

Be more careful next time.

Eirynor nods and casts a side glance at Poe. Zarius catches on to the gesture and eyes the woman a bit then gives Eirynor an unimpressed look. The swordsman looks away as if he didn't see the expression on the tiefling's face.

Zarius wouldn't deter the man from wanting to interact with Kamille's lackies, they probably could get along if they had a chance to get to know one another. It wasn't often that Eirynor found someone besides his employers and their staff he could communicate with, and it was pretty apparent that he shared some similar training as the Black Quills. Regardless, right now they were on a job and the half-elf knew that. The job always came first.

Seemed they were in luck as they were given a ride on a small boat captained by the Elder's grandson after the sun had set on the horizon. Zarius decides that Eirynor would be best suited to join them since Edgar didn't appear too be keen on being around the swordsman. Best not to force them to work together while the communication was only one way. 

The tiefling takes notice of the witch's anxiety. He could empathize, being at sea was not really something he enjoyed either. He relied on his mobility to get in close to enemies since he had limited ranged options. If there was no solid ground to stand on, well, it limited how close he could get. He listens to Kamille's words as the boat bobs up and down in the surf. 

"Breeding? That is a problem. Just that small group wreaked enough havoc. I do not want to imagine the chaos a larger flock could do."

Arriving at the cliff face, Kamille created a way for herself as well as Eirynor and Poe to climb up. Zarius needed no such accommodation as he just hops over to the cliff face and sticks his boots to the stone.^[1] He keeps pace with them as they climb in case someone were to slip and fall.

It's a steep climb, even with Kamille's makeshift ladder. Eirynor allows Poe and Kamille to go up first before following after them. Zarius scouts a spot where they can get onto some solid footing near a ledge and waves the group over to it. From this vantage point they could see across the choppy waters back the way they came up until a low fog bank starts to form from the dropping temperatures of the cool night.

The fog was a double edged sword, providing cover and masking their scent and any sound they made, but also hindering their own vision. They would have to be very careful and smart about how they proceeded to the nest in order to avoid being mobbed or thrown off the small spit of rocky outcropping into the crashing waves below. 

Eirynor, Poe, and Zarius all had ways to move unseen. They would have to use that to get in close, then distract the harpies from Kamille while she took out the nest. It would be risky, and the timing had to be spot on. 

---

[1] Spider Silk Boots

The Witch shot a curious look at Zarius as he effortlessly climbed up the vertical surface of the cliff side. She, on the other side, even with her carved ladder, struggled to climb up, clearly not used to exercise her agility or physical prowess in any other way than the daily climbing up and down her house steps. On top of that, Kamille didn’t have a single bit of stealth in her body, so once they reached the top, she would hesitate to advance unless strictly necessary as to not blow their cover.

The island was small, barely a step up a sterile rock formation. There was a slight depression at the center, where the harpies probably kept their nest with the light coverage of the few trees and bushes on the area. No naturally formed beach made for their only exit from the island troubling: they would either use the ladder Kamille just made or dive directly into the ocean. It was quite a dive, assuming they didn’t hit the corals and rocks around the island. No wonder no bigger boat had managed to approach the nest.

We can do this.

Kamille's voice resonated on Zarius head[1]. Certainly, she could do the same to pass on the message to Poe, and Zarius would be able to silently sign to Eirynor.

If you guys can distract the harpies for long enough, I can try to approach a bit more and cast a spell to destroy it. You shouldn’t be caught too close to it, though. And don’t be too close to the ledge too, in case the spell pushes you back.

The way Poe remained silent and still for a moment probably indicated she was getting the same message from Kamille. The woman looked over to both Eirynor and Zarius, nodding and waiting for their saying on the plan. Kamille passed a potion over to Poe, just in case.

Kamille herself probably wouldn’t be able to witness if her suspicion about the harpies was right, as the darkness and distance wouldn’t allow it. But if the amount of eggs that the harpies were keeping was to hatch and reach adulthood, in a few years they would become more than just Moonglade's problem. 

[1]Message

Zarius listens to Kamille's message and signs to Eirynor the plan. The half-elf nods and signs back.

Looking to the witch, the pair nod. They could make any plan work, in theory. The tricky thing here would be avoiding being knocked off the island into the ocean. While the fall might not kill someone, getting smashed against the rocks by the waves certainly wouldn't feel good. 

We can keep them distracted while remaining out of sight. If we can divide their attention by circling around either side of the island and divert them from you, you should have a clear shot. 

With their plan in place, Zarius and Eirynor both disappear and skulk off silently.^[1,2] There isn't much cover to worry about giving their traversal away, but the rock surfaces are slick with salt and sea water. Zarius takes the high ground, risking the more dangerous path since his boots allowed him to stick to vertical surfaces, while Eirynor took the flatter path around the opposite side of the sea stack. 

The harpies were perched on the opposite side from where the boat had made land with their nest being up high to keep it away from the rising and falling tides. A number of the harpies are keeping watch while those that need to rest and recover have their heads tucked under their wings. The nests themselves are well guarded, with the oldest and strongest of the harpies keeping a close eye out for trouble. 

Zarius stalks around to a point where he can see the path Kamille would be using to get close enough to cast her spell. From here, he could quickly drop down and provide her assistance should she be swarmed at any point. 

Eirynor positioned himself to flank the nests and be midway down the sea stack in case they needed someone ready to catch someone thrown from the rocks. 

Once in place, the plan was put into motion.

Zarius begins by focusing on a point off over the waves and a shrill cry echoes through the air.^[3] The harpies on watch snap their attention to the noise and try to discern its source. The cry echoes a second time, causing a number of them to take off in search of the distressed noise. A few of the sleeping harpies rouse from their sleep only to ear the clatter of rocks below the nest as Eirynor throws a few stones to draw their attention downward. 

---

[1] Invisilibity
[2] Silent Step
[3] Minor Trickery

Kamille wasn't nearly as stealthy as everyone else, but Poe remained close to give her assistance, while also remaining invisible [1]. The Witch tried to approach to at least see where she wanted the spell to land. She would, regardless, be vulnerable for a moment, as she had to gesture, whisper and stand to cast the spell - but it was worth the shot.

She tried to use a bush and a small tree as coverage as she caught sight of what appeared to be their nest. It was when she heard the distractions both Zarius and Eirynor were making and promptly took her cue. The air grew hotter as she gestured and mumbled the incantation, the flow of mana distorting the image around her as she focused on the words. While she did often look too brainscattered sometimes, when it came to the things she was good at - and was known to be good at - her focus was remarkable.

Some of the harpies took flight, and it would be only a matter of time until one would spot her. With a shrill cry, the harpie lunged toward the Witch, that didn't even flinch or move as she focused on her spell. Luckly, that's what Poe was there for: as the harpie entered her range, Poe stuck her katana through her chest, taking her off the sky and breaking her own invisibility. But it mattered not, as Kamille was about to finish her spell.

A distant whistle sound foreshadowed the giant chunk of flaming stone that fell from the sky, cutting through the dark sky with intent - and though the night was starting to get agitated, it was nothing compared to what came next: the impact of the meteor with the ground was enough to make the earth quake, the explosion of earth and fire and lava covering for a big area around its landing site. Suddenly, all of the small island was lit with the fire of the meteor exploding on the center of it, the flames shooting up, towards the dark sky for a moment before receeding. The wave of impact in its proximity was strong enough to push back the flying harpies and anyone around, and even Kamille was close enough to feel it. And through the dust and smoke that rose from the place, it was clear it wasn't over. The lava stirred, molding itself up as the stones fell into place to shape legs, a wide torso and long arms with huge, stony hands. Lastly, a small boulder jumped up on top of the rock formation to shape a mask akin to a skull, with burning eyes behind it[2].

Mayhem roared with a mouth of stone, its burning depths made of lava visible for a moment. The lava golem stood some good ten feet tall, making the gargoyles Kamille had used before look tiny in comparison. And Mayhem seemed to thirst for destruction, as he promptly went for the harpies that were within his reach to take out them of the sky and slam them to the ground, with the effort a child would crush a beetle.

Some of the harpies that were aiming for Kamille before the crash of the meteor seemed to think it was not worth it and promptly fled. The crash would likely ensure the population of the harpies would be diminished enough to give the villagers some rest and time to rebuild.

[1]Invisibility

[2]Kamille's Summoning Pact: Mayhem

Zarius and Eirynor's distractions bought enough time for the witch to get her spell in. Then all hell broke loose as she unleashed the anger of a volcano down on the little rocky island.

Eirynor is the first to retreat from his position as rocks and molten stone rained down over the edge where the nest was. Luckily for him none of the harpies took any notice since they were much too focused on the lava golem that now threatened their breeding ground. The mute half-elf silently made their way back to the boat to ensure their means of fleeing the island was secure. 

The tiefling however, watched on at the destruction Kamille had unleashed from the sky. He shields his face from the radiating heat wafting off the golem as it tore through the harpies and their home. Something stirred deep within him, an almost excited flickering flame which sparked up in reaction to the elemental magic lingering in the air. The burning sensation of the smoke stinging his lungs coupled with the sharp scent of brimstone is all to reminiscent of home and the volcano that actively spews clouds of ash into the sky, darkening each day for the denizens living in its shadow.

He shakes his head to clear his mind then quickly regroups with Kamille and Poe, allowing his invisibility to drop well before he reaches them. 

"Time to go. I doubt they will recolonize here anytime soon after this."

He gives a nod of acknowledgement to Poe before heading back down to the boat with the two. 

A while later, the group arrives back at the village, relay their success to the townsfolk, then bid farewell and part ways. 

As they depart from the village and head down the road to pursue other ventures, Eirynor signs to Zarius. 

The tiefling watches the gestures then nods. "I agree, she is terrifying."