Fligg eventually comes around a corner and it opens up to the sky, revealing a flooded quarry. The cave opens to a path that leads all around the quarry and following it, you can see a two cave entrances on the other side of the lake.
After a turn, the cave splits and one direction leads up some stairs and the other opens up.
The cave opens up on the right to reveal a chamber filled with several kobolds and their pet giant rats. There is a small cooking fire in the room, lighting it up slightly.
None of the creatures seem to notice the hiding fey.
Fligg mentally relays back this information, and then goes the other way to see what's there.
Olivius mentally tallies and plans.
Horatio scratches his fingertips idly, a maddening itch starting to spread through his hands.
Feora gasps and thinks. "So many..., how are we going to be able to deal with all of them?"
"If we sneak up on them, I might be able to secure us an ally for a couple of hours," Horatio suggests. "I think I've picked up enough of their language to communicate with them. It's a neat trick, but it won't work if combat's initiated first. If it does work, we'll be able to reduce their numbers and swell ours at the same time."
Olivius listens and nods. This is simple. There is a narrow entry. That's where I stand with someone else to form a wall. Everyone else stands behind and has their way with the vermin. It would be nice to have some more light in there. Depending on how narrow it gets, I could hold the gap alone.
Olivius advances until he finds a section that narrows to a few feet. He plants himself there and waits until his companions are ready before making some noise.
Feora, he whispers, When I start getting some attention, I would appreciate some light in here. I'll hold this pass. Youall slaughter at range anything that comes at us. Sound good?
"I suppose that's the more boring option," Horatio mutters. "Though not getting stabbed in the gut will be a bonus."
Feora moves up behind Olivius, but starts to trip on some of the rock and the rubble in the passage way.
Olivius does his best, but his armor and shield are not made for quiet.
As Olivius turns the corner, he gets a nasty surprise in the face!
The kobolds had a similar idea and his clunking probably alerted them to such.
The creature then steps forward and sling bullets follow...
Even caught unaware, the poor kobolds weapons are useless...
Lucky for them, they caught the warrior by surprise and were quick and nimble....
The final visible kobold seems ready to stab anyone who comes close....
But one of the rats steps up to nip at Olives.
But the armored warrior seems invulnerable to their pitiful attacks.
Heroes up!
Stones and stabs glance off Olivius as if he were stone. He only has to move once, to avoid a rat snapping at his shin. In spite of himself, he actually starts to laugh.
I'll group 'em up! Youall have at 'em. he says to the others while attacks bounce off him like so much hail.
Olivius steps to the side to line himself up with where he wanted to be, braces his shield, and bull rushes the little lizards back to where he wanted them to be.
The sight of so many blows raining down on Olivius sets Horatio's neck hairs on edge, but seeing them bounce off his armour steadies his nerves somewhat.
"Come on, Rosaline," he whispers, kissing the scroll his violin before setting it in place. The tune that flows forth is much the same as before - bright, clear, rousing.
Trig smiles as she sees Olivius ram his way through the tide of kobolds. "So much for my little pony, looks like you've got this handled Olives! Mrs. Beakface, go get em!"
The eagle lands two blows and rips the kobold to pieces.
Taking the opportunity to surround the warrior, the creatures begin their assault!
A kobold finally slips his spear tip by Olivius's defenses and lands a small blow to him.
The rest of the rats seem to be swarming the eagle.
The rats have much better luck with the eagle, tearing it to the same shreads as their brother, sending the eagle back to where it came from.
Olivius jumps a bit at the poke. Why you little #*^+!
His spear point follows his curse.
Feora has been looking on in a sort of stunned silence. Oh dear light..., so many of them. what are we going to do...
Suck it up, buttercup.
Feora shakes her head, looking about trying to find where the voice came from. "Huh..., who..."
I said suck it up, buttercup. We promised to have his back. We aren't backing out on him.
Feora blinks, looking back to Olivius, who is in obvious peril and shivers. But..., I'm scared..., I don't want to die...
Listen princess, playtime is over. This isn't the temple sun garden. You don't do something, you aren't the only one going to end up squashed on the ground, full of pig sticking holes those dirty lizards are giving him.
Feora shivers again and looks on. I don't know if I can...
Fine then, Let me.
In a couple of moments, Feora seems to move into action, moving up behind Olivius, her shield strapped onto one arm and her other hand free for now. Most notably, her ashen white hair normally pulled back in a tight tail, is now a flowing fire red mane. "Don't lose your cool up here princess, that's a lot of dirty lizards to deal with."
Damnit, Feora! Horatio thinks, seeing the girl move in front of him while he's ditracted tucking his violin away. He sighs and shakes his head, drawing his shortbow as he moves up, waiting for the right moment to fire.
Trig isn't phased when the rats send the eagle back to the First World. "Plenty more where she came from!" the gnome quips, gesturing to open another portal to the world of the fey. Another large and majestic eagle comes swooping through to attack the rat next to Olivius.
Another eagle means another dead creature....
As is there another dead kobold on the end of Olivius's spear.
One of the kobolds seeing the death takes off in the other direction...
The rats converge once more on the bird.
One rat is a little squeezed into his spot as he leaps up to tear into the bird.
The other two are not...
It isn't until the third rat attacks that any of them sink their teeth into the bird. This time, the bird isn't ended immediately and it's wound burns [DC 11 Fort save or...
Then the two remaining kobolds after Olivius's spear slides into one's skull like a hot knife through butter make moves on the warrior.
But neither are able to penetrate his defenses...
Feora tries to weave herself in and out of the open holes in Olivius's defense, using her own shield to try and bolster his blocks and movements. She keeps finding it hard to move around his body, though, and as such doesn't seem to find much in the way of places she can help.
"That's it muffin. Just a couple more and we can call it a workout."
Olivius yanks his spear free and reverses his grip in one movement. He slashes downward at an angle at the kobold on his right. The spear sends an arc of kobold blood and brain matter outward along its path as it dives for yet more blood.
It plunges into the kobold at the base of its scrawny neck and slices through lungs, heart, and stomach in one fell stroke.
Olivius hears Fiora's comment, but he has no time to respond. His mind is almost wholly focused on his opponents and not letting them through his defence.
Muttering angrily to himself, Horatio puts an arrow to the string and draws, trying to get a clear shot past his companions.