5ft step to J5
cleek click cruuuu'p
As Nico and Brennan close with the insect, they spot what looks to be a familiar form fighting it as well. He looks like another one of the crew from their recently sunk ship. Frytz does the same, just spotting signs of them through the corn. It's enough to distract him from his attack.
Eldarel stops just shy of seeing what the other two are fighting, but summons a creature right beside them, expecting it to see the enemy if they can. The thing appears, but is too uncertain at first what the enemy is, and by the time it strikes it is too uncertain to focus.
Round 3:
Kelly - Moved to G7, hit the Ankheg
Belor - Moved to G11, missed
Ankheg - 25 damage, moved to J6/K7, missed Frytz
Nico - Moved to L7, hit Ankheg
Brennan - Moved to L6, hit Ankheg
Frytz - Misses Ankheg
Eldarel - Summon Monster I in L8
Dog - missed Ankheg
Kelly is warry of the newcomers, but feels the need to get rid of the creature first. He stabs at the creature.
However his worry for his fallen friends, and the new threat distract him from his effort. The creature distracted by Kelly's friends, and the newcomers, Kelly decides to break to check on his friends, before the creature falls and the newcomers have time to turn their attentions on him.
Brennan took the opportunity of the monster's distraction to plunge both daggers at the creature's back. It twisted at the last moment, and both daggers skittered harmlessly of its carapace.
brrrip,tchik!
5ft step to H6.
Eldarel holds back, watching his summoned fiend to see how it goes this time round:
I wish I'd had the time to summon Nightshade. Unable to delay the inevitable any longer, and not wanting to be thought of as a coward by his new companions, he closes with the insect beast himself (move action), before striking at it with his rapier (standard action)
Frustrated by the his lack of accuracy with the bow Belor decides to try magic instead. He conjures up a small bolt of lighting and sends it toward the Ankheg. Belor doesn't pay much attention to the new arrivals. Instead focusing on the current threat.
Belor aims a sparks of electricity toward the creature, and it looks to be dead on, but what he thought was the creature was instead a similarly-colored cornstalk.
With the threats on almost all sides the creature moves away from all those that have hurt him, and moves towards the most open space. It chitters something, before making a hissing noise. From its mouth comes a squirt of the same caustic substance dripping from its mandibles, straight at Nico and Brennan.
After that, everyone rushes in at the thing, both Brennan and Frytz either missing or unable to breach its hard shell. The summoned dog, however, is able to nip the edge of its shell and pry it away. This was all it took to finally fell the beast. It crashes through the overgrown corn with a heavy thump, one last wheeze escaping it before it lies still. Cieran and Holgur lie dead beside it.
A strange hissing sound caused Brennan to look around in alarm. He saw the creature hunch slightly and dove to his left just in time to avoid the stream of caustic fluid. While he was recovering, the others did enough damage to fell the beast. Taking no chances, Brennan walked up to it and calmly drove both daggers into the eyes of the beast.
+ evasion = no damage
Brennan cleaned his blades before sheathing them as if by magic. He looked around the clearing, and considered drawing them once more, but decided against it. If he had to they would appear when needed.
"I believe we are...but you look as if you were washing in acid. you might have someone look at that. Maybe one of these gentlemen that we saved would be so kind. After all, they would likely be dead now without our aid."
clik'By'k'tk'Gozreh's'charip'beardt! k'ch.....Frtyz clears his throat.
Herr Brennan... Nico, undt Eldarel! Can it be? I vas sure I vas da only survivor. Vhat a day, ya! Havfe you seen any'vone else from da crew?
Realizing introductions are in order and overcome with new found optimism, Frtyz addresses Kelly and Belor.
I vould like to introduce you to Herr Brennan, Herr Nico undt Herr Eldarel. Zhey are my mates from da Vivian's Lust, ya. Turning to his old crew... Kollegen, please meet Herr Kelly undt Herr Belor, ya.
"We have not. It has been a rough time, I think, since the shipwreck. What are you doing here? And with these others? I am surprised that we were separated so."
Eldarel smiles warmly: "Frytz - good to see you; and to meet your new colleagues. How do you come to know them?"
After exchanging a few rounds of pleasantries, Eldarel murmurs "do please excuse me for one moment." He bends down and mutters a brief incantation, summoning a small patch of glowing light. He moves this light to cast a shadow of himself. Crouching on the ground, Eldarel sketches out a crude symbol: nothing formal, just an amorphous shape. He breathes onto it, and somehow -
- the shadow becomes solid: wisps of shade, forming, growing, expanding, until they take the form of a large feline. Entirely black, save for milky-white eyes and large, ivory teeth; and a glowing symbol on its forehead, the same shape as the one Eldarel traced. The thing stretches in the way that cats do, and sniffs the air. It turns to Eldarel, accusingly:
"No fair! You killed something without me!"
The voice is female, and rather petulant.
Turning her back on Eldarel, the cat-shaped magical beast slopes over to the fallen form of the ankheg. Tearing open its armour plating with her gleaming ivory teeth, she sinks her head into its innards in search of something edible.
Eldarel's fine elven features wince slightly at a particularly loud slurping sound. "Allow me to introduce my - associate? She calls herself Nightshade. Do please excuse her for a while; she inhabits the Plane of Shadows, which I gather is rather on the dull side, especially as far as flavour is concerned. She'll be right with us - she doesn't actually need to eat."
This last sentence is rather louder, possibly directed toward Nightshade herself as much as the rest of you.
Still feeling guilt for the sinking of the Vivian's Lust, Frytz avoids making direct eye contact for more than a second. I vashed ashore sometime in da middle of da night, ya... und took shelter at an abandoned village. Vhen I avoke da next day, I saw these fine men comink ashore. I've been vith dem ever since.
After the best is slain, Kelly rushes to examine his crewmates. He begins checking for vitals even though he knows it’s pointless. After a minute or two, he's done check for signs of life, but he still looks for several minutes afterward. Eventually he notices the conversations happening around him, and that his new Halfling friend is both referring to him and addressing him. He snaps himself back to reality.
"Gents, I see that you are shipmates of our friend here, I will offer a warning, the ship we hail from is not a pleasant one and I cannot offer safety, as there is none to be had on our ship. Returning as our friends, I'm sure you will find a bunk and work, but the commander of our ship is none too keen on our little group.
"Currently we've been tasked to look for our missing crewmates, and return with some drinking water while repairs are made correct the damage our ship received in that storm that sank you vessel. Now, having just lost most of your own crew, I'm sure you understand, I have some business to attend." With that Kelly turns his attentions back on his fallen mates, he grabs a pair of personal items from each of them and begins to pick up the body of the Ciearn, intending to make for the edge of the cornfield.
Kelly trudges his way to the outskirts of the field. When he immerges he orients himself to the nearest shore line and heads to that edge of the field. Once there, He lays his friend down carefully, then heads back into the field, looking for the site again to retrieve his other fallen comrade.
Eldarel offers to help Kelly carry the remains of his late friend, offering his murmured condolences: not that he cares particularly, but it's important to make a good first impression.
His brow creases slightly at Kelly's mention of 'work' - and even more so at the mention of a 'commander'. Eldarel does not take well to orders, or to manual labour for that matter. Having survived the shipwreck, he is already giving thought to improving his own position.
If others have to make way, so be it; it won't be the first time.
"Perhaps a change of management?" Eldarel suggestively loosens the rapier hanging at his side, to make sure that his words are not misunderstood.
"As Nico says, though I am sure that we could find something on the island to eat. It looks to be a fairly tropical paradise."
Looking around his feet, Frytz mulls the possibility of a warm meal. If nothing eltse, ve shoult be able to scrounge some corn from dis fielt, ya.
"I do not mean to strand you folks here, even if there be provisions enough for ye. I simply do wish to portray us as righteous saviors, and point out that though our ship does provide transportation away from this place, it is by no means a safe refuge, and as ye have pointed out, ye may be called upon to act in regard to her master. If such action were to take place, I let ye know, we are not loved long by the current master of the ship, and should an action upon him behalf be called for, would not be his side that we act in favor of. The ramifications of such actions are not small, and even if fully successful may not be easy to escape. That being said, I still welcome ye, and hope to count you amongst our friends."
With that said, Kelly accepts the aid, and finishes moving his fallen friends out of the field. He also begrudgingly starts sorting through their gear, looking for items of usefulness.
Kelly is reminded of life on the ship thus far, as he tries to salvage anything useful from their two companion's lifeless forms. Sadly, he comes up with very little worth hauling around. Mostly just weapons that may still be useful to some if they wanted them.