Standing Bear will take guard beside the tunnel and hold his weapon at the ready, just in case there is trouble. If all light goes into the tunnel, then he will cast his own light spell on the head of his hammer.
Once everyone is ready, Milo heads into the tunnel entrance. He keeps his senses peeled and moves carefully.
The party creeps into the tunnel below the ant mound. It is quickly apparent that it was chiseled out of the rock of the Crow using tiny picks and hammers. The tunnel opens up after about 20 feet into a small, irregularly shaped room. As Milo and Mach move around a corner, they can see two mites who have dropped their tools and flee down a side corridor, shrieking in their high-pitched tongue.
Milo shoots his loaded crossbow at one of the fleeing mites and then pursues attacking the one he shot his bolt at with a flying foot in an attempt to trip it up , "Sorry to interrupt your work, fellows!"
Quintus unleashes some more magic to help take down the mite Milo shot. He calls up some of his bloodlines power to create a small ray of cold that then he fires at the mite hoping to take it down.
Milo's shot nearly takes the mite down, but Quintus' magical frost freezes him in his tracks. He drops lifelessly to the ground.
Standing Bear will let out a sigh as he hears the sounds of combat being initiated and then squeezes his way into the tunnel and moves as quickly as he can.
Standing Bear rushes ahead only to see the last mite zipping around a corner and into a larger room that is pitch black where only the barest of details can be seen in the shadowy light of his spell.
Having fired his bolt, Milo reloads his glowing crossbow and follows Standing Bear around the corner. His intention to trip one of the mites was clearly not thought through, but at least they got one of them.
Petronicus grumbles and charges ahead, his guisarme held out in front of him.
"Come back here, you little blue faeries!"
He runs around the corner past Standing Bear, following the mites into the darkened room and stops there.
"Dammit, I can't see a thing in here. Milo, Standing Bear, get your light in here!"
A second later, Petronicus screams.
Mach resists the urge to facepalm and starts going after Petronicus, readying his blades.
"Asmodeus' pierced left nipple, that's a huge spider!" Petronicus yells as he backs up and brings up his polearm to strike at the enormous arachnid. His weapon bounces off the creature's hard hide, and only scratches it.
, .
Standing Bear hearing the spider, speeds towards it. It takes him all of his ability to move to get there! His weapon readied, he is hoping to draw the attention of the spider, but if he fails to do so...he will when he gets a chance to swing.
Standing Bear, with the spirit of his Great Grandfather guiding his weapon, brings the heavy hammer down on the spider.
"Go and join your spirits..."
Milo charges after the Chelaxian, dropping his glowing crossbow once he enters the hallway and drawing his Temple Sword and lunging at the Giant Spider.
Standing Bear strikes a mighty blow against the arachnid, smashing it hard on a soft place in its hide.
Milo dodges in, but his blow goes wide and hits nothing but air, and Um'bala rushes in to aid his allies.
Mach steps forward, his blades flashing.
Mach's short sword catches on one of the spider's legs and he's able to barely yank it free before landing a minor blow on its abdomen with his dagger.
Quintus will move up next to Um'Bala.
Milo Milo's attack misses, but he noted Standing Bear's impressive blow. With the hopes of helping the Shaman he attempts to aid his next attack by pretending to trip with a loud squeal to hopefully get the spider to move into his friend's attack.
Now surrounded, the spider lunges at the halfling, but he is too quick by half, and ducks under her clumsy bite.
, .
Undeterred, Mach continues stabbing!
Petronicus seems to have recovered a bit of his spirit as he steps up onto the stairs and jabs at the giant spider with his polearm. "This is just like the time my uncle and I cornered a bebilith in a dark alley in Kintargo. We took it down with a hundred little blows!"
The guisarme cuts the spider, which hisses at the Chelaxian in response.
,
Full-Round Action: Stab stab stab!
Undeterred, Mach continues stabbing!
Mach continues slashing at the giant spider and inflicts another flesh wound.
With the help of the halfling, Standing Bear lets our a primal roar and slams his hammer down again. "Look...over...here!" Unfortunately, Standing Bear is more used to working alone.
Standing Bear brings his massive earthbreaker down on the spider's head. With a sound like ice breaking, the head splits open, revealing the arachnid's rather small brain. It pops out and lands between the Shoanti and the halfling while the spider collapses, a mess of twitching legs and mandibles.
Kneeling before the dead creature, he places a hand on the first part of it that is still intact. "Join your ancestors, creature." As he says this, he grips his weapon again and as he lifts it, his Great Grandfather's spirit helps him with the heft, returning to his side to guide his hand in combat once more.
"I believe we still have mites to deal with...but is anyone injured?"
As Standing Bear send the spider's spirit off Milo sends centers himself focusing off the creature's brain laying on the floor between them. "Yes. Quite."
Looking back up and around he smiles, "I am pleased to report that I am well, my friend."
Mach shrugs and sheathes his weapons. "Bit banged up, but otherwise I'm fine."
As the party is taking stock, another mite approaches from the tunnels from which you just emerged. Unlike the others you have seen, this fae creature strides toward you with an air of arrogant confidence, a strange crown on its head and a long, red cape trailing behind it.
"Are you the heroes I sent for?" it chirps in broken Common.
Milo starts when the King appears and then speaks in Common and then suggests he summoned them. Looking at the others, "Are we?"
The mite looks closer at Milo. "You look suspicious. You almost smaller than me! What kind of hero is that?"
"One who just helped kill your spider", replies Milo.
The mite shakes his head. "Zuuga no care of spider. Zuuga want Clickylegs." He points a tiny blue digit at Milo. "You! You get Clickylegs! Zuuga command!"
Milo looks blankly back at the King and then turns to the party, "Perhaps Um'bala has another one of those language spells? I think we need a bit more clarity here."
Milo looks blankly back at the King and then turns to the party, "Perhaps you have another one of those language spells, Um'bala? I think we need a bit more clarity here."
"What exactly is this clickylegs thing?" Standing Bear asks as he steps up behind Milo, towering behind him as he looks down at Zuuga.
Quintus isn't sure how to react to this mite, but he assumes it might be better to just play along for right now. "Uhhhh, sure your majesty we will get clickylegs, but first why don't you tell us what clickylegs looks like. Some of us aren't as good at remembering as others."
The crowned mite gives Standing Bear and Quintus a bewildered look. "What do you mean? Clickylegs is Clickylegs. He pet. He carry me around, but he ran off with my sleeping crown. He big like you. Has six legs. You bring him back, me give you big diamond."