Cassander is following along behind the others.
One of the creatures skitters carefully back a step, and the purple swirls on its back seem to move for a moment. The other one steps over nearer its companion and attempts to bite Trezsia again.
After its attack, a darkness falls in the cavern, as Trezsia's torch suddenly goes dark.
Hearing the sounds of movement and combat, Xion charges forward, weaving through the cavern tunnel to get as close to the fight as possible.
"Xi, wait up!"
"Beware, there is magical darkness here," Trézsia calls loudly so her companions can hear, "I am wielding my blade in the dark - stay clear unless you can bring light."
Dropping her pointless torch, she unsheathes her greataxe and sends the great blade whistling through the air in direction she thinks the cockroaches last were.
She begins to sing song of Vildeis' glory so her companions might know her location, but softly enough not to drown out their voices.
Trezsia drops her torch to the ground and swings a great two handed blow at the ground in front of her where the foul vermin was standing before the cavern went dark. She feels her greataxe connect and dig into the creature before her as she begins singing a song in praise of Vildeis, but the axe seems to bounce back with more force than she would expect, as if the creature had a supernatural resistance some of the damage her great weapon should deal.
Xion moves swiftly up the passage, and sees where the light from Cassander's holy symbol seems to meet an invisible wall and stop before it can bathe the Penitent in its light. Her eyes, however, are able to pierce this darkness as well as any other, and she sees Trezsia, though blind, somehow manage to hit the cockroach before her as her torch gutters uselessly on the ground. Xion is able to get up close to the creature.
Tasnim follows her cousin closely, and is relieved when she can see clearly in the darkness.
As the light disappears around him, the Penitent freezes in place, listening to sound of Trézsia's warnings and her song.
He smiles, taking a short step forward, keying in to the sound of her voice and keeping her to his right in the absence of light.
His own voice takes on a sing-song tone, as he calls to the darkness ahead of him.
"Come to me, Demon, come to me and we will dance to this tune," he calls with melodic words, "We will dance and sing until one of us has had their fill of revelry!"
He tilts his head, listening for the sounds of the creatures. He raises his hands, gnarled and scarred fists clenching over and over.
Cassander will rush into the room, mace at the ready.
Vitalia inches forward as Cassander moves, trying to see in the light. The injured woman and elf follow, with Horgus sticking close to the winged angel and his torch. As Cassander approaches the Penitent, he hears Anevia ask, with a slight quaver in her voice "Gods, the light, it's disappearing...it's like a wall of darkness!"
Horgus reaches toward Cassander. "Don't go into the darkness! You can't see what's in there! Stay with us!"
The surrounded cockroach attacks Trezsia in the darkness.
Waving its antennae in frustration, the thing retreats up the cavern wall.
The other cockroach darts forward, unnervingly quick on its many feet, attacking the Penitent and then skittering back again.
The Penitent hears a rock clatter as the creature nears him, and reaches toward the creature, landing a good hold on a couple of its chitinous legs. The gigantic insect begins writhing furiously!
The filthy creature's frenzy allows it to break free, and it flees back again, climbing ten feet up the wall.
Tasnim swings at the roach with a grunt as it moves by.
"Where are the vile things?" Trézsia stops to listen for chitinous scurrying.
The Penitent growls in frustration as the creature slips from his grasp.
"You are slippery, demon, but you only delay your journey to the Dawn's Light!"
Cocking his head slightly, the Penitent edges forward, his steps careful and measured. He listens, hands raised and ready, for any sound of the skittering enemy.
Xion takes a swipe at the passing insect but hits nothing but air. She nevertheless gives chase as it retreats, pursuing it toward the wall and holding her blade at length for a second attack attempt. "Up here, the beast went up the wall!"
The cousins swing at the dog-sized cockroach scrambling up the wall, but both of their blows miss in the supernatural darkness.
Trezsia stands, her sword at the ready and her head cocked as she tries to determine where to attack.
Xion moves up and attacks the cockroach that fled from her and Tasnim, landing a blow with a crunch of her halberd against it's carapace, but she can see it doesn't do nearly as much damage as she expected.
Tasnim darts between the Penitent and Trezsia to swipe at the other cockroach, and hits it! While she feels her blow connect, she can see she barely dents the creature's carapace.
Cassander advances to the cockroach by Tasnim. "Be careful, those of you who cannot see in this darkness. Be strong. The light will prevail."
He hacks at the cockroach with his sword.
Cassander walks by his companions that are unable to see into the darkness, and his light winks out as he moves forward. He advances on the cockroach Tasnim hit and swings a blow at the foul thing on the wall, striking it. He feels his blade hit the creature solidly, but it's tough body is harder to damage than he was expecting.
Horvus cries out as Cassander and his lit holy symbol are swallowed by darkness, and blunders in after him. Panicked, he doesn't watch his step as he rushes forward. He trips over an unseen rock and sprawls on the ground next to the Penitent, gasping for breath.
As true darkness falls on the entire cavern, Anevia presses her back to the left cavern wall with a visible gulp, and puts away her bow. She pushes Aravashnial against the same wall with one hand as she draws a short sword. She gestures with it and mutters under her breath.
Cockroach 2 strikes a full retreat, denying Xion any attack of opportunity as it scrambles along the walls.
Cockroach 1 moves to strike at the blinded foes, doing his best to dodge retributive attacks from Cassander and Tasnim. He fails to avoid their attacks, however. He scurries along the ground and attacks Vitalia.
She mutters an irritated swear under her breath, grumbling at the escaping opponent, then gives chase, weapon at the ready. If it gets too far off ahead, it might bring friends.
Before she goes, though, she's going to make sure when she catches the thing, she can hurt it. "Ragathiel Favorem!" she chants in the darkness, and - despite not being able to see such - she feels the swelling of the golden fire in her as the spell takes hold. She then gives chase, weapon in hand.
As the cockroach skitters past, Cassander takes the opening to swing his sword at the nasty bug.
Trézsia holds her ground and does not swing, sensing her comrades nearby and not wishing to strike any of them accidentally.
Cassander lands another blow on the cockroach as it scurries toward Vitalia. It appears to be badly injured.
Xion casts a spell and dashes around the corner after the other fleeing insect, but when she peers around the bend, she fails to see it.
"Xi! Where..." Tasnim sighs and chases after her cousin, wondering not for the first time if it would be worth investing in a leash.
Tasnim and Cassander both hit the cockroach and it moved to attack Vitalia, and its dead body slides past the Penitent, clattering against the rock floor, before coming to a halt.
"It ran around the wall here," she calls back over her shoulder to Tas.
Hearing the sound of the other insect hitting the ground confirms the danger behind her is at an end, so Xion continues forward, moving back down the tunnel after the direction the creature went, ready to strike the instant she sees something hostile.
The Penitent hears the curses and shout from the dual-eyed girl.
"Yes, rags and favors, hags and labors!" he shouts, stumbling forward in chase.
With one cockroach slain, Cassander pursues the other in the darkness.
The Penitent moves forward, carefully making his way through the darkness.
As Cassander joins the cousins in their chase of the fleeing vermin, Cassander's holy symbol begins lighting the cavern with a clear glow once again, but the gigantic bug is still not within sight.
Trezsia and Vitalia hear Anevia muttering softly to herself for another moment, then a relieved "It worked!" as the tip of her sword begins to glow softly. "I have light!"
"Light? Light?" Horgus scrambles along the ground, blinking as he emerges into the soft glow of Anevia's magical shortsword. "Abadar be praised!"
"The aura of darkness covers only a small area," Cassander calls out behind him. "Ahead, our sources of light function normally. But I do not see where the other vermin has gone."
As Cassander keeps his eye peeled for dangers ahead, he doesn't see the vermin.
Trézsia, able to see at last, follows the pursuers.
The Penitent moves forward carefully, smiling as he walks into sudden light.
"It has fled," Cassander says, turning to the others. "Perhaps it seeks easier prey."
Trezsia feels her way forward in the darkness as quickly as she can. The Penitent finds his way back into the light of Cassander's holy symbol, and Xion stalks ahead, her weapon at the ready, Tasnim close behind her. She peers through the cavern but sees nothing ahead.
Just as Cassander calls out that it has given up the fight, Aravashnial cries out.
"Something attacked me!"
"I saw it!" Anevia yells. It ducked back! Behind us!" She pulls the blind man behind her roughly, holding her glowing sword and standing balanced on her good leg as best she can.