Li'an lunges at the fly, but it steps backward at just the right moment, and she swipes at mid-air instead.
Horgus cowers behind Ary, staring out into the darkness. "Crabs?? Here??"
Valaria is up.
"Why not? Everything else has been shelly." Ary said, as she pulled the strand taut, and then struggled to pull harder. "Well... that's no good.." she said, as her footing gave way a little, as she strained.
"Okay, giant bugs I can deal with," Valaria mutters under her breath. "But giant cave crabs? This day is just getting plain weird." She moves forward carefully, looking out into the darkness and trying to find the creature.
She glances back at Ary. "Need a hand with that? I can try and cut you free, or maybe a second pair of hands will drag the thing into the light."
"Probably best..." she said, "That it stay attached... to me... helping is good." she said after a moment. "If it throws another... cut the other free."
Valaria nods once. "Alright then," she says, preparing herself to move at the first sign of the creature.
Aravashnial remains silent, his fists clenched tightly around his quarterstaff.
Round 4
Ehren is up.
"Surely they're not working in concert?" Ehren asks no one in particular, as he lazily gestures in the direction of the fly. A small burst of light explodes right before its eyes.
The flare doesn't seem to do much to the creature's huge, compound eyes. It charges forward at Hrut, who manages to hold off the monstrous creature into the tunnels.
Markus casts light on a rock, causing the light around Hrut's shield to flicker and dim to nothing. He chucks the rock down the hallway, where it rolls 30 ft away from him. Far away, in the dimly lit tunnel, is a man-sized, crab-like monstrosity which grips the far ends of the filament with its oversized claws.
Anevia limps forward, shortsword drawn as she approaches the fly. "Need to finish this thing off first," she grunts, as she strikes at the fly, the blow landing several inches short of impact.
On the far end of the cavern, the cave fisher twitches, and attempts to pull Ary back in, but Valaria reacts swiftly, moving to strike at the filament. She catches onto the thread, but fails to cut deep enough to cut it.
The cave fisher yanks at the filament, but Ary digs in with all her strength, and does not budge.
Ary is up.
Ary struggles against the filament. For a moment it looks like she's going to make a bit of headway... then rocks go tumbling away again. "Ugh... can't get a good grip..." Ary says, as she tries to pull the thing into the light without grabbing the threads.
Shards of Iron Strike
Battleaxe on #2: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (11) + 5 = 16
1d6 + 1d8 + 4 + 2 ⇒ (6) + (8) + 4 + 2 = 20 Strength+Broken blade bonus(forgot it last time not that I needed it)
Turning his battleaxe slightly Hrut comes down from an unexpected angle against the fly, but only delivers a glancing blow against its carapace.
"Why won't you die you nasty evil thing!? Is there something going on back there also?"
Hrut shouts calling back to Ary at rear guard.
Anevia groans.
"If you'd back up, we could properly surround this thing and decimate it. The ceiling is too low for it to fly over us!"
Li'an is up.
Li'an took another swing at the fly, but with Hrut and the Fly exchanging blows in such a tight space, she was hard pressed to find an opening.
"Anevia's right, back it out and we'll be able to finish it off. We need to do so fast, in case Ary starts getting dragged away by the crab." Li'an looked briefly down the hall to where the crab was lit up. She'd never heard of such a thing before, but imagined it would be quite deadly if it had caught someone alone.
Horgus backs up, not wanting to be between Ary and the giant cave crab.
Aravashnial tilts his head. "Why not just cut her free and move on?" he asks, not realizing that Valaria had already tried.
Round 5
Ehren is up.
Inhale. Ary quietly spoke, probably intent on no one hearing. "Patience..." Exhale. Then she raised her voice.
"Near me. If something comes from that direction, we're just as bad off as when it tried to grab you. But no shield if you aren't near me." She then changed to speaking to Aravashnial, "The stuff seems to be really sturdy. And in case I'm still attached to -it-, I'd rather it not be able to grab someone else. It's trying to pull me... and honestly, I think I'm one of the better options for playing anchor."
Valaria bites her lip to keep from replying. "Don't start a fight with the big-headed elf," she tells herself. "Don't let him get to you."
"I don't think I can cut this stuff," she admits. "If you can drag the thing closer, that would be great. Otherwise, I'm going after it. We don't need people getting dragged off into the dark by that thing. Best defense may be a good offense in this case."
"If you go, knock the rock that way. It'll let the ranged folks see to hit it, too." Ary suggested, as she continued to hold the line taut.
Valaria nods, not taking her eyes off the crab. "I'll try," she says.
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Ehren backs away to Horgus' side, attempting to cast his orison on the fly again.
Ehren's magic is somehow dampened by the monstrous fly. It lunges forward at Hrut, who keeps it trapped inside of the small tunnel with his shield.
Markus is up.
Horgus grumbles, "Fine," he concedes to the much taller woman.
Hrut shouts back to the rear guard,
"I have my hands full here for now, are you ladies okay back there?"
Dodging the fly and deftly moving the shield to intervene between his latest attack.
Markus turns to Aravashnial. "To the south, there's a...weird crab creature attacking us. Can you summon a lantern archon or a dretch to kill it?" softly, Markus takes Aravashnial's wrist and points his hand down the passageway. "It's about fifty feet down that way. Hrut is still occupied with the fly and neither of our strongest have darkvision."
Aravashnial huffs, standing up straight. "Yes, because I should love to spend one of my final efforts communing with the planes to conjure up one of the very monsters that took my sight," he growls in a soft voice, jerking his hand away from Markus'.
Aravashnial is highly offended at Markus' suggestion that he summon a dretch and does not comply.
"Yeesh, mage kid," Anevia snaps, though her tone is considerably more cheerful. "I get that you're from out of town... but... you should watch what you say. Don't want people to be getting the wrong impression." She then turns to Hrut. "I can't maneuver in this tight place with my leg the way it is. I work better from the flank. You have the best shot here, wait for an opening, then aim between the eyes. Then slo~owly back out so Li'an and I can circle it."
The crab yanks at the filament, pulling it taught, but Ary keeps her stance firm.
Valaria is up.
"I... Gah." scoffs Markus, crossing his arms. He grips his quarterstaff tighter. "Excuse me for suggesting the most effective summon."
Valaria groans. "Is now the time to have this argument?" she asks, slightly annoyed. "Perhaps you can discuss the details of the planes and conjuration when we don't have cave monsters coming at us from every angle." She does find the idea of suggesting a crusader conjure a demon rather unlikely, but doesn't want them to get into a debate while there are more important things to do.
"Gloomy, if you can put a light spell on me somewhere, I can get in close and light it up when I attack."
"I'd have to take the light off of it momentarily while you close in. Are you suggesting you do so now? Perhaps Li'an or Anevia should go with you, to ensure that you don't close in on it alone. And I can wait behind - I have some limited healing abilities that can ensure that when you fall, you don't go beyond the veil." explains Markus, scratching his nose and standing conspicuously tall amid the combat.
"I can see in the dark," Valaria says. "It's close enough that I can get to it without the light from the stone." She sighs. "Well, we can sit here and watch Ary play tug-o-war with that crab thing until one of them wins, or we can rush it and take down the problem at the source. I won't say no to some back-up, but it looks like they're a bit preoccupied with the giant bugs. Anyone wants to come, I'll wait but otherwise nothing is getting done standing around. If you have some healing skills, we might need them, but I can hold my own for a little bit, especially with Avi's magic."
"I'll go with you, then." decides Markus, with a pointed shake of the head. "Ary, you can see over there, right? I want to make sure someone's looking out for us just in case one of us falls." Markus grips his quarterstaff and prepares to follow Valaria towards the cave fisher.
Valaria nods. "Alright, just be careful," she says firmly. "You're not quite as durable as I am and if you go down it will be a bit harder to get you back on your feet. It's your healing magic after all."
Valaria rushes down the hall, aiming to bury one of her knives deep in the creature's hide.
"A dretch?" she thought as Aravashnial balked at the request. "I understand that to some magic is simply magic, but after the events up top... Even I'm not *that* tactless" She made a mental note to try and talk to Markus about it later. Getting Aravashnial upset was a problem, he was notoriously stubborn, but up on the surface, among any surviving crusaders, a mistake like that could have more dire consequences.
"Back her up Markus, and I'll get down there to help as soon as Hrut, Anevia and I finish this fly off." The thing was getting rather annoying, she hoped they'd be able to land a decisive blow soon.
"Lotesse lle goth utua lle y' fuir. Fen ilya pelu am' kan nan' vilya manke ron pelekta," Li'an called to Val, thinking the traditional elven blessing fitting for the task ahead of the her.
As she turned her focus back to the fly she remembered that she'd taught that phrase to Ary on the same day Ary had decided on her nickname. The first time Ary called her "Fen'wen" she wasn't sure what to make of it. Since the words for 'sword' and 'thorn' were the same, the name could refert to someone of great skill with a sword, as well as someone with a combative or standoffish personality. Although, admittedly, there were times it probably was fitting in the second sense.
Ary simply holds tight to the shield on her arm. "I can't see in the dark, but once she's got light down to it, I'm good. It's sort of a blur until then."
Ary shifted her stance, and yanked on the filament once more. (Hoping for an impromptu aid :p)
"If you guys are up for it, we can all move towards the Crab. But you'll have to stick close."
Aravashnial does not say anything, merely leaning on his intricate quarterstaff and sulking.
Valaria charges at the crab, slashing through its flesh in a gap between its chitinous armor. Ary yanks on the sticky web that connects the two, aiming to throw it off balance when it attempts to counter-attack.
Hrut is up.
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Taking another mighty swing at the fly before taking a large step backwards, Hrut pulls his head at the last moment to besure he does not trip when stepping back and his battleaxe goes wide.
"Blasted creatures and tiny holes! It's enough to make someone go crazy down here!" Hrut shouts being frustrated with himself for missing after Anevia's aid.
Li'an is up.
Anevia smiles encouragingly at Hrut. "There we go...finally room to maneuver a bit, eh?"
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"Mage... a lot of the folks here swore an oath not to suffer demons, to destroy them where we find them, no matter what the source. They're... dangerous and even when controlled, can't be trusted. Worse, most everyone here has lost someone close to a demon. I get that using the dark to good things means you're doing good... but demons are kill on sight here. I think that they're actually -beyond- last resort."
Ary said by way of trying to quickly explain.
Markus' eyes flit to Ary before he goes down the cave to help out Valaria. "Hm. I don't know how accepted I'll be if that's the attitude."
"Be a hero, and you won't need to worry about acceptance." Ary provides him with a grin as he moves down the hallway, while she still has his eye.
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"Oh yeah, it's just exactly that easy for all of us." shouts Markus over his shoulder. "Let me just do that! Thanks for reminding me!"
Li'an prepares herself to strike as Hrut backs out, baiting the fly out of the tunnel. She watches closely for an opportunity to finish the battle with the fly quickly before the situation with Ary and the Cave Fisher gets out of control. "Come on Lleuad, lets end this."
Horgus moves to cower behind Ary. Aravashnial crosses his arms, quiet and contemplative.
Round 6
Ehren is up.
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Ehren remains quiet during the "philosophical" debate, despite tucking his lower lip as though to say something. Is now really the time to be discussing such things?
With his reserves of magic starting to dwindle, the druid decides to take a chance with another spell. He starts to murmur quietly, gesturing slowly and deliberately.
The fly slowly crawls out from the small tunnel, then lunges forward at Hrut.
Li'an seizes the opportunity to lunge out at the fly slashing savagely at it from the top of its head all the way down to its fearsome jaws.
The fly shrieks in pain and again surges towards Hrut, who holds his shield against it. Ary takes his back.
Markus is up
Markus moves after Valaria towards the cave fisher, getting right up behind her with his quarterstaff ready to fight. He wants to wait until it engages her before he moves in to fight, though - she has the benefit of false life, after all, and is altogether tougher than he is.
Anevia takes a jab at the fly, but her sword bounces off of the carapace. She grits her teeth, frustrated.
The cave fisher lunges at Valaria with its enormous claws but it is twisted suddenly off to the side by Ary's sharp yank. It releases the filament, and Ary can feel the line give slack.
Valaria is up.
Valaria gives a small sigh of relief as the claws narrowly miss her. "Thanks," she calls back to Ary. "Now let's do this."
Valaria wildly overcompensates, and loses her balance. She is forced to take several steps backwards to regain her momentum. The crab swipes at her with an enormous claw at her as she wheels, slicing open part of her garment as it narrowly misses her. Markus arrives at her side a second later.
Untethered, Ary strides quickly to Li'an's side with her sword stretched out before her to dazzle the fly.
Hrut attempts to take advantage of the wounded fly.
Torag and Al'asadriel guide my axe that it may strike true and help my comrades.
Hrut calls back, "Thanks for the opening Ary!" as his counter attack nearly cleaves one of its great legs off.
"Wh-what? Where are you going?" Horgus blusters as he keeps with Ary, though Aravashnial does not notice that Ary has left his side.
Round 7
Ehren finishes his incantation and an eagle manifests in the tunnel behind the fly. It swipes at it, leaving a deep wound on its back with its claws.
The fly is gravely wounded, and seems buzz around confused for a moment, before diving down at Li'an.
Unfortunately it seems that Ary just drew the fly towards Li'an, as it makes a beeline straight to her, biting into her shoulder with force that rattles her bones. It releases, buzzing languidly in the air before the group once more.
Li'an is up.
"Trying to keep everyone alive and the bad things dead. Thank you for following me." she said to Horgus. "I'll be right back over there, Avi!" she calls.
Then shudders a bit as the thing rips into Li'an.
Li'an felt the fly's mandibles sink in deeply. Even though she knew the wound it had caused would likely fade when Aravashnial's spell ended, the pain from it was entirely real. She fell to one knee for a moment, clutching her shoulder.
Grabbing Lleuad with both hands, she thrust upwards at the creature's belly as it withdrew. As she felt Lleuad make contact, she threw her weight into it, hoping to drive it deep into the fly. Her wounded shoulder, however, gave out as she leaned into the blow, drawing a sharp cry from her and causing Li'an to lose control of the thrust.
"Kül və alova meşə!" she cursed as she backed off, clutching her wounded shoulder again.
"This magic!" Li'an said, her usually calm voice now betraying her frustration. "Couldn't some wizard have figured out how to provide the benefits without the pain?"
Despite the pain, Li'an manages to drive her blade deep into its shoulder joint, disabling any further movement from the fly.
Ehren is up.