Caerwyn peeks 'round the corner and sees more of the pesky mites. One of them is climbing aboard a bug that Caerwyn recognizes as a tick. In this case, it is a tick of tremendous size. Large enough to serve as a steed for a small person such as a mite.
The other four mites are forming a line, their small darts in hand, ready to throw.
Caerwyn steps back to warn the others 'Looks like we've got the cavalry coming. More mites and one of them appears to be riding a man-sized tick, of all things."
"Bah, lets ready to give them what for then."
He began hefting his shield and looping his morning star into his belt for a moment.
"Aye." Autumn said as she gripped her axe a bit tighter. She muttered under her breath and a small light glowed for a moment over her axe. "Lets give them a proper welcome hmm?"
With a smile, Pyros goes through a couple of warm-up flourishes, then steps to the fore. "I'll take the front. Let the little menaces come."
Staring in the direction Caerwyn points to and notching an arrow.
You wait for the mites to come swarming around the corner. They seem to have adopted the same tactic, for no such charge materializes.
A squeaky, querulous voice can be heard issuing orders.
Yelling in Sylvan,
Glancing around and mumbling, "They are getting reinforcements. Maybe they will listen to reason."
"I don't think that's going to work."[b] he tells Regina [b]"Look at it from their point of view. We've invaded their home and have killed their friends. I think that the window of opportunity for talking has closed. Better to hit them now before those reinforcements arrive."
With that Caerwyn moves up on the mite riding the giant tick and swings at his "mount".
"Mites are not friendly creatures." Autumn told their Alchemist before she moved up and swung at the closet mite.
He followed the others in waving the torch in front of him like a goad to keep them from closing too closely. He made sure to set his shield properly in front of him almost panting.
Pyros slips past Caerwyn and attacks a mite with a purplish cast to its skin.
Caerwyn hits the hideous bug. Gore sprays as the attack leaves a deep slash in the the thing's leathery shell.
Autumn's attack hits the tick rider, but he rolls with the attack. He is injured, but far from dead.
Pyros finds the low ceiling to be a problem again, he can't get his blade into the dodgy mite.
The tick lashes out at Caerwyn with its proboscis, but the wiley rogue is not where expected. the attack misses.
Enraged the tick rider stabbs at Autumn with his dagger, the point pierces the hunter's armor, drawing blood.
Pyros mite misses him. The little menace cant get inside the defensive arc of sharp steel.
The last two mites hurl darts at Herger. Herger deflects one of the missiles with his shield, the other dart flies wild.
Glaring at nothing but joining the fight. I am not that simple but any delayed time might have helped. Trailing after the others and picking out her target. Forgoing the bow and drawing a bomb hoping it sails past the others and takes care of the mite on its way.
Autumn gave a cry of pain as his dagger cut into her. Before trying to return the favor.
Regina's bomb catches the fleeing mite, who bursts into flames, then plummets into the chasm that bisects cavern floor.
Autumn manages to chop into the mounted mite. She feels her blow should have killed it, but the creature's flesh seems somehow intangible*. Not completely, though, the axe does draw blood. As well, this mite seems to have more fighting skill than the others; rolling with, and dodging away from her attacks.
Caerwyn attack the giant tick once more as his blade slices deep into the creatures carapace but fails to pierce any of the sensitive organs underneath.
Keeping to the wall he continued to wave the torch like a weapon mostly hoping to make himself a viable target and distraction at the same time.
Pyros weaves a web of steel around the mite he is attacking. His blade finds the puffy flesh of the creature, drawing blood, and a squeal of pain.
_ _ _ _ _ _
The mite wounded by pyros is too hurt to fight on, he tries to retreat.
The little savage is too slow to evade the long, cold iron blade, and is cut down.
The mites fighting Herger attack; the far one hurls a dart, but it is easily deflected by Herger's shield. The other flails out with a tiny dagger; Herger sidesteps with ease, making the mite look foolish.
The tick makes a gurgling hissing noise, as it's minute brain registers pain. It attacks Caerwyn, but the elf blood barely dodges.
The tick rider flails his dagger at Autumn, but the bucking of his steed makes his efforts ineffective.
Caerwyn dodges the ticks bite and continues to pivot around, slicing the creature with his blade as he completes the spin.
Autumn grinned a bit at the rider's failure, after all she didn't need anymore pain, before returning the favor.
Autumn's axe savagely rips into the mounted mite, it slumps in the saddle, bleeding and unconscious. It is out of the fight.
He was aware all he had to do was keep the damned things distracted and busy with him so his allies could overwhelm the mounted rider. Bellowing an Ulfen war cry he kept his shield up and the torch wavering out defending himself as best he could.
Caerwyn's sword slashes into the huge tick; chopping though its weird, rubbery exoskeleton. Ichor oozes everywhere as the thing deflates. It too is out of the fight.
Pyros moves around the now harmless tick and rider. He makes a powerful overhand draw-cut, dropping the mite in it's tracks.
The last mite looks around desperately. He throws down his weapon and cries out in broken Taldan. "Not kill."
Autumn stepped up looking down at the mite "You give up?" She asked the mite.
Grinning at the shift in the atmosphere but waiting for the conformation from the mites.
The mite's command of common is limited, he reverts to speaking in the guttural sylvan the mites use.
Autumn's eyes narrowed as she leaned down slightly to the mite, speaking in Sylvan.
Her glare bore into the small creature like a disappointed mother does ones child.
The mite's beady, mean, red rimmed eyes dart ever more. It's body tense, it keeps looking toward the rift in the cavern floor.
The creature reaches out a stumpy leg, and sidles a step toward the gap in the cavern floor.
With combat stopped, at least for the moment it can be noticed that a web of roots seems to provide a means to cross the chasm. The web of roots, and the dancing shadows from Herger's torch, do block the view down below the roots. At least from everyone's current point of view.
Pyros stands nearby, conspicuously not sheathing his dark blade, which cut so easily through the other mites.
"Hey there now where are you going?"
He said in common well aware the creature probably couldnt understand him... the tone of his voice was pretty clear though as he stepped forward to sort of head him off at the pass.
The mite decides that the conversation is going nowhere. He decides to bolt.
Pyros snaps his blade out with viper-like quickness, but is careful to strike the creature with the flat of his blade, hoping to knock it out.
Autumn reached out to snatch up the mite before it had the chance to flee.
Pyros slams the pommel of his sword down on the top of the fleeing mite's head. The mite slumps in a heap, unconscious.
He went to move.... went to. he realized as he even began to raise the torch up out of reaction that Pyros moved and struck with an impressive speed and Autumn almost as fast slid forward pratically catching the mite.
"well then... good work,"
He began taking his torch and moving torwards the chasm and web of roots to get a better look at them... and to see if they looked safe.
Caerwyn will follow close behind Herger, his sword at the ready. He too peers into the crevasse, looking for a way across.
"Shall we just leave the creature here? it's likely it'll be out for a while and I'm not to keen on kill defenseless creatures. No matter how evil they are." Autumn said as she looked to the other, mainly Herger.
Shifting on her feet and nodding, "I agree with Autumn."
”Indeed. I was hoping we might get something more out of it once it comes to. I certainly wouldn’t want to kill a helpless opponent, given another option.”
Caerwyn takes a piece of rope and hogties the mite before picking it up and throwing it across his shoulder "Wouldn't want to keep an enemy behind us now, would we?"
With the mite trussed up, Caerwyn and Herger peer into the chasm. It is about 20' deep. Gnarled roots grow out of the sides of the chasm, providing many hand and foot holds for climbing up, or down into the crack. Longer roots have been woven together to form sort of a bridge across the gap. Rather, many such bridges have been created. There are nine such crossing routes.
Movement draws the eyes of Caerwyn and Herger to the shadows of the northern reach of the crack. A centipede of tremendous size writhes in the depths. It looks to be at least 20' long, and has two whip-like tendrils extending from it's tail.
"That is a big bug."
He muttered pointing it out to the others whom might not have spotted it yet.
Turning and looking where Herger is pointing, "Really."
Reaching for a small vial but no throwing it just yet.
Autumn put her axes away and took out her bow. She took aim at the creature.
"Lets see if we can take care of it now, before it gets to us." Autumn said before she let loose the arrow.
The arrow missed and Autumn was thankful that the lighting in here wasn't the best as it covered her embarrassment.
The centipede twitches it's antennae at the sound of the arrow but stays on the bottom of the chasm for now. It's mandibles look exceedingly strong and sharp. They glisten with yellowish liquid, in Herger's torch light.