"Well, if we get sandwiched between two sets of foes, don't come crying to me... but go ahead an explore further, if it is your wish."
"Oh relax, Zozo. They are still thinking that we are coming so we still have time to explore. If they do surround us, you can use that mist scroll I gave to help us escape and scatter their army."
"And I can make it difficult for them to get by, while we escape. I do ask that if you see me pop a large seed out of my torso, that you bring it with you and plant it somewhere safe. I can regrow from that."
Liz smells kobolds, a scent she's familiar with now, in the northeast room. Just kobolds.
Liz gives a disdainful snort and Mira smiles. "Nothing too dangerous that way, probably just some kobolds." She pauses. "If they call in the dragon to sandwich us things could get messy. But on the plus side I'd get to try my hand at growing wings - I think I've figured out the trick to it."
Lenna puts both of her hands on her face.
"Oh, why didn't you tell us earlier? I was worried that we are not able to take care of that dragon because of that one weakness that we have which is flying. This definitely change everything."
The halfling moves her hand from her face and let them slump as she levels her eyes at Mira.
"But the time you can stay morphed. Is it enough? I mean you took that nasty spell and it must shave off some time you can stay in your beast mode. How much time do you have left?"
The group heads to the northeast. They pass a tunnel that leads due north and walk into a room where several burly kobolds are wielding spears and appear to be training. A couple of smaller of kobolds in the back yell out in surprise as you enter the room.
You notice that portions of the ceiling look unstable, with rubble lying on the ground and propped up by crude wooden beams. You also notice that the southeast exit from this room is almost completely blocked up by rubble. Three of the kobolds look much tougher and have dark scales while three others are thinner and have light scales.
One of the darker scaled kobolds grins and says "Time to get some real practice poking these soft-skins!" while one of the light-scaled kobolds yelps "Ack! Get help!"
Mira takes one look and charges forward, chopping at the nearest kobold with her axe. Despite being in human form, she snarls.
Meanwhile, Liz moves to block the southwest exit.
The kobold snarls back in
"How would you know!"
as he trips Mira when she tries to approach him. It is now you notice that these burly, dark-scaled kobolds have ridiculously long arms and also seem quite angry and are breathing hard, likely due to the training they were in the middle of when you walked in.
Sunreturn walks in, quarterstaff in hand, to cover Mira's prone form and then looks straight at one of the larger kobolds. He then inclines his head towards another, as if to say:
Go kill that one, would you?
Confident in his friends to handle the big ones, Zoltan concentrates on disabling the smaller ones, starting with the closest.
Lenna immediately moves out of sight of her enemies and draws a scroll of expeditious retreat.
Zoltan zaps one of the kobolds into oblivion and wounds another. The tough kobold Sunny speaks to cocks his head then steps a little ways away and stabs at his ally, drawing a gasp of pain and shock. They chatter at each other in Draconic for a second then seem to present a united front again. Two of them stab at Mira from distance, both landing blows on her (23 damage before DR). The two other kobolds yelp in fear at the magic and, seeing the dangerous-looking Liz, head to the southeast and start scrabbling at the rubble, trying to get through on top.
"Ack! Why'd you do that?"
"I'm sorry I'm sorry he made me!"
"Oh nasty magic, huh? We'll have to put a stop to that."
Lenna move to where she can see the two attackers and dances, giving Sunreturn and Mira the ability to teleport aka move without provoking aoo.
Mira crashes heavily to the ground, the wind knocked out of her. She struggles to draw in a breath, much less avoid the onslaught of blows. But then Lenna's perfectly timed dance defies the laws of this material plane, and Mira rolls sideways into nothingness.
She rolls out of nothingness at the feet of the northernmost kobold. Still flat on her back, Mira swings her butchering axe at the creature's scaly legs.
Sunreturn grows a longspear from seemingly nowhere, and magically steps next to the tough kobolds to prevent their passage to Mira.
Zoltan casts another spell, slamming force missiles into the escaping kobolds.
The raging kobolds look around in confusion while Zoltan picks off the last of those attempting to flee. The one struck by Mira exclaims in pain and steps away from her and thrusts his spear toward her, landing a decent blow (12 dam before DR). The other step carefully around Sunreturn. One jabs him (13 dam) while the other tries to trip him but fails.
"Ow.", Sunreturn utters, and then stabs hard at the wounded kobold with his spear.
Lenna moves, drawing her starknife and dances again, granting Mira and herself the ability to turn invisible as a swift action (this is SU so doesn't provoke AoO and will help her stand up without AoO) which the halfling hastily used to avoid attention.
Mira blinks out of view and scrambles invisibly to her feet, stepping under the kobold's spear to deliver another blow with her axe.
Mira cuts hard into the kobold's back, dropping it. The other two curse darkly in their language but their resolve only appears to stiffen.
Zoltan casts acid splash at the closest large one. "Every little bit could help..."
With fierce looks in their beady eyes, the dark kobolds move to kill. One heads toward Zoltan amd stabs him (11 dam). Sunny capitalizes and strikes the kobold but is struck himself in return by the scaly partner (11 dam).
Wary of the kobolds' spears, Mira steps back and drops her axe. With a flick of an arm a sling slides into her hand, and she quickly hurls a bullet at the kobold attacking Zoltan.
"Sunny, protect Zozo."
Lenna dances and grants Sunreturn and herself the ability to teleport. Lenna teleports to beside the kobold that is occupied with the paladin.
Zoltan steps back 5' and casts grease on the floor under the large kobold. (DC 17 Reflex save)
"Ow.", Sunreturn exclaims again as he stabs back.
Yes.
And Sunreturn disappears, to reappear between Zoltan and his own kobold quarry.
In one swift motion, he brushes his flesh briefly with a flicker of light, and his wounds start to close as he stabs hard with his spear.
The kobold stabs Zoltan as he attempts to cast the spell and it fizzles out. Sunreturn appears and strikes a mighty avenging blow but the kobold doesn't fall. Mira's sling smashes hard into another kobold but doesn't bring it down either. The brutal dark-scaled kobolds keep focusing on the most vulnerable prey, attacking Zoltan and Lenna but missing wildly!
"Mimi, grab your weapon and help Zozo."
Lenna dances out of the thrust with ease.
"Woah, careful. That is a sharp looking thing you got there. You might hurt yourself with that."
She dances, giving Mira and Zoltan the ability to turn invisible as a swift action then steps eastwards with flair.
Sunreturn realises that the kobold is too close for him to use his own spear effectively.
So he tries magic.
The kobold stiffens and ceases his movement toward Zoltan.
Zoltan blinks invisible for a moment and moves back out of the kobold's reach. Then he fires a ray of cold at it. Mira slings a stone as well.
Mira and Zoltan's attacks land home. The kobold, seeing Zoltan slip away, decides to move somewhat back toward the smallest target, Lenna. He stabs at Sunreturn as he does so while the other stabs at Lenna.
Sunreturn does not exclaim at this stabbing, but does glare at the kobold, starting to get annoyed. Though this is mollified somewhat when he infuses himself with healing energies.
And still returning stabs of his own.
Sunreturn manages to land a solid blow through the chest of the smaller creature. With hate burning in its eyes, it slides off his spear and to the ground.
With a little smile of satisfaction, Sunreturn pops out of view.
And then reappears to the south of the remaining kobold.
Lenna does not flinch to the injury instead she dances again granting Mira and Sunreturn the ability to turn invisible to get closer to the last kobold. Then, she steps forward with determination in her eyes.
"Is that all you got? Surely you can do better than that."
Axe in hand, Mira drops her sling and rushes forward under the cover of invisibility to swing at the final kobold.