As usual, please look at the bottom of the turn for where everyone is and what's happening, after your own turns resolve.
(4) the party kinda veers away from the flock in general while still aiming roughly at the Pillar. You guys get some distance, but the flock does follow and approaches.
((I wonder if the creatures are close enough together for Kongor to start consecutive chain reactions with his lightning gauntlets?))
you could try it and find out.
keep an eye on that flock. Warn the others to keep their guard up too
Consider them warned. Consider the flock watched.
Move away from the approaching creatures and towards the pillars, restrain self to the carts so I can't get knocked off.
(1) You point your cart at the pillar/wall and start lashing yourself to the cart. in the process, you kick something, or pull something, or press something, and send the cart into an uncontrolled spin, pressing you against your restraints. "This is exactly what I meant to do!" You scream at the flock, and at your teammates.
Focus on dodging any attacks using my flying cart and staying as far as possible from the monsters while still being close to the group and moving towards the objective. If hostiles get too close, focus on my fairy dance ring to make the creatures dance. Use my smoke ring to distract them if the dance ring doesn't work and I'm going to be attacked. If I can't get out of there by flying and not doing anything will cause the destruction of the cart and kill me,
wave my fire ring around to try to get the flying monsters on fire and as a last ditch attemp, grab onto them.
(6)you can't see it from here, but you are certain that some of the creatures do indeed start to do whatever it is birds do when they try to dance. And so do you. You gyrate and writhe and stretch yourself out tall in your seat in the cart. (6) fortunately, you manage to avoid stepping on any of the levers or buttons or knobs in the process.(6) neato. you also have enough left over to summon a thin smoke, which immediately gets blown off behind your cart. You can't really see what happens to it from there, but it keeps coming. So, now you are in a Hypnotic Dance of Dominant Mist.
((I'm fine with fighting, but ideally I'd like this cart unhooked from me first. Telling Freddie to slow down would make that easier, preferably by someone with non -2 charisma. I think it's possible to fight with the cart hooked up, though, just more likely to lose the cart and maybe get hurt.))
Follow Vladen lower down. The height advantage is important in combat, but I'm pretty fast, so it might be suprising to attack from below. Take a look at the oncoming cloud of creatures, and try to estimate how effective fliers they are, how large each individual one is, and how many are in the swarm.
Some combat plans: If they're tiny, go through them at full speed horizontally or vertically, and try to eat one or two while flying through the group. If they're small, do the same, but try to catch one or two in my claws to transfer to the mouth later. If they're about the same size as I am, pass by below them and see if they attack first. If no, double back and pick a specific one to cut out from the group with napalm breath. Attack the target with claws from a vulnerable angle and set its neigbors on fire. If I am attacked, speed up so they miss their dives and try to lure a couple into collisions with each other. Aim to spray napalm on them when they flare out below me, and double back to scatter the more cautious ones who didn't screw up with more fire, and pick a wounded one to eat chunks from. Be very noisy, the flock may scatter.
If they're larger than I am, but not enormous pick an individual target similar to the above, but hit it with fire and my claws, and try to either score a quick kill or rip off a tasty-looking chunk of meat.
If they're enormous and the flock is also enormous discretion may be the better part of valor, and perhaps these guys are better not engaged. Fly quietly and try to avoid notice. If I am attacked, go into a climb upwards, so as to be able to roll on my back and spray napalm upwards in the face of my attacker.
You follow the wildly spinning Vladen toward the Pillar/ground. Meanwhile you watch teh flock as it approaches from the left. There are probably thousands of them. They look born to fly. (1) you can't make out sizes or any other features yet.
I'll keep those battle plans in mind for next round. You guys bought a little time by aiming away from them and diving. Maybe Freddie will get lucky and someone will unhitch him from the cart. I do want to remind you though: your fire breath is a concentrated stream, so it's not going to be super effective as an AoE attack. Freddie instinctively knows this, and can adapt, I'm sure.
*remembers my magical knives*
1 & 7) Twin Knives. supernaturally sharp. Not like "slice an atom" sharp. More like "highly effective dagger" sharp. don't try prying doors open with tehm, but they'll cut pretty good. 1 is better at stabbing/piercing and 7 is better at slicing/slashing.
2) Blade of Bright Judgment: very sharp and carries a lightning charm. Can discharge elecricity into a target 3-5 times before needing recharged. Will recharge one charge every two rest hours, or a full charge if attached to a power source.
3) Knife of Spider Summon. A fragile knife. best you don't actually swing it at someone, lest it shatter. But held in both hands, you can summon a variety of spiders to your location.
4) Heat Knife. again, not an effective combat weapon, but useful for such things as combatting frostbite, making s'mores, getting that cup of coffee juuuuuust right.
5) Dagger of Illuminating Murder. While wielded, you can see in total darkness, and can shroud yourself in unnatural darkness.alternatively, the dagger can emit a blinding light, aimed in the direction of your choosing. this dagger definitely likes to stab things.
6) Stiletto of Noisy Ancestors. this thing starts mumbling when drawn. The sound rises over time, up to the sound of dozens of irritable geriatrics in heated argument.
Juggler's Trick Knife. A knife with a variety of prestidigital effects. Nothing directly harmful. Fun at parties.
Continue flying to pillar planet, using Dagger 5 to shroud myself in darkness. Try to avoid the flock of ... whatever, if possible, but if they get close to me use Dagger 5 to blind them long enough for me to fly away.
(6) you encompass the entire group in unnatural darkness. You can see everything ofcourse, but the world suddenly goes completely black for everyone else. You can see the flock from a distance kinda do a weird swirl for a minute, before it comes on after you again. The creatures may or may not be able to see you, but they can probably see the Orb of Vantablack moving through their space.
oh, looking ahead, you notice the ground. there is a terminator line between a part of the pillar lighted by the open sky, and that left in darkness due to the remaining outer wall. This is a little odd, considering you have yet to see an actual light source out there, but, hey, it's not te only strange bit of physics in this place, so why question it? Back home, questioning things tended to get you hit, anyway. Now, you notice that the light side of hte ground is rather brilliantly coated in red, though there are patches of dull silver and of hard greyish whitish cream colored whatever. on the darker side of the terminator, you see some of hte red spreading out from the line, but it breaks up into small patches and streaks before disappearing not far from the end of the light.
The situation:you are heading roughly at a ninety degree angle form the flock, but still toward the pillar/wall/ground. (yes, it's all the same object. You are just close enough thatit's hard to tell if it's wall, ground, or enormous round thing).
The world suddenly goes completely black for all of you. this doesn't bother Gak, but the rest of you can't see shit. Naturally, you all hope that this particular effect is ended quickly, so you can get back to business with less of a disadvantage.
Vladen is spiralling out of control, heading toward ... you know, the ground. Rex is dancing hypnotically and spewing smoke, which expands behind him into an oddly colorful smoke. Kongor is contemplating lightning. Freddie is whining and scratching at his harness, hoping to be freed to fight, for a change.
(2) you will not make it to land before the flock catches up to you.