The last might drops, bleeding on the floor with a squeak
Nedyr blinks, his companions having moved so quickly and effectively that he was chiefly a spectator. He eyes the fallen foes, "Well well well, how the 'mitey' have fallen."
Mme. Pindles laughs hysterically, snorting, with tears dripping out of the corners of her eyes. She recovers after a moment and glowers haughtily at Nedyr. "That was awful."
She picks her way across the crowded room easily, "accidentally" stepping on one of the mites, and peers down the left-side () tunnel. "Well now... Left or right? Do you have any preferences or hunches, Madame Hella? Or Sir Screamingtrees: what do your elven eyes see?"
The gnome finishes her examination with a nod, and spins around casually to her companions. "This tunnel seems completely unremarkable. We might go this way if we want a place to rest later on."
Mme. Pindles laughs hysterically, snorting, with tears dripping out of the corners of her eyes. She recovers after a moment and glowers haughtily at Nedyr. "That was awful."
Nedyr tries to look contrite (and fails), muttering, "It was a battle, it felt wrong not to do SOME Damage."
Both tunnels appear to have regular traffic, making neither more discernable than the other. The small chamber was filled with workbenches, various projects in incomplete states similar to their little wrist mounted catapults. None seemed at all effective as weapons. There is however a bag of caltrops, the remains of their ammunition. For a moment it is unnoticable but as the silence prevades you realise that the constant echod giggling seems to have stopped with death cry of the last mite... They know you are hear.
"With the silence i dont think it matters... we might have knocked a little loudly on the door and they know we are here." He answered then shrugged with a grin.
"Lets see where these lead eh?" He said pressing forward (down r2)
"I say we follow our companion." Hella said with a smile. "Let us trust his instincts and move quickly."
Arilyth nods at Hella's suggestion. "Yes, I see no further course. Well, besides the other tunnel, but this one seems fine enough for now."
She attempts to follow Cerian as closely as possible, and as quietly as possible, but Elves just aren't meant to be underground.
Well... Some Elves, but we don't like talking about them...
The tunnel is small and cramped.
Aluxion retrieves his arrow and follows the others, casting another Light spell on the nocked arrow. He keeps his hand covering the light, and walks slowly so as not to trip in the underground darkness.
He reflects that this is a rather new experience. He's never really explored caves before. Especially ones dug out by fey creatures underneath a giant dead tree.
Miri slinks along behind the rest with Darbi at her side. She manages to keep a straight face, but the way the others look trying to fit into the small tunnels is downright hilarious.
Since there's so many in front of her, she resolves to be more careful about what they leave behind, using her and Darbi's better sight in low-light to make sure they're not being followed.
Nedyr shares Arilyth's unspoken apprehension about being under ground. It feels odd to have no moon, no stars nothing. While his footing is sure enough, it distracts him somewhat
Rodric slips back into rank with the group, allowing those with vision better suited to the environment to take the lead. "Lead on, Master Cerian"
Hella moves foward spear in hand following Arilyth and Wolf would hear her silent whistle and starts climbing down the hole to move into the room they are vacating.
As you squeeze through the tunnel it widens into a large slick chamber. the floor it slick and seems to be made up of trickles and runnings of brownish fluid seeping deeper. Moisture beads and drips from the feeling and the whole area feels humid and sticky. Small trenches cut into the floor seem to direct most of the fluid in a criss crossing patter and you can just barely make out, by smell mostly, a number of piles of compost. Each has a number of pale sickly looking white lumps... The closest you make out seem to be wriggling eggs. As you notice this you see handfulls of tiny centipedes writhing on the closest piles as well.
Rodric's cry for Cerian to lead on echo's from the back of the chamber...
Darbi growls and glares in the direction of the bottom of the chamber, her ears flat.
Hella would growl. "Three centipedes, three mites at least, two mounted on said centipedes." She calls out reading her spear. "You guys may want to turn on your lights."
Mme. Pindles exhales slowly at the unsettling news. "And they've seen us? That's just wonderful. Careful..." She hesitates. They all need to be careful in this cramped tunnel, but there seems to be nothing to do to take care.
Cerian pressed himself to the side of the tunnel as best he was able and tried to slide forward into the larger room, blades ready he hoped his luck held and they still didnt notice him.
"I don't think my sleep spell will work on the centipedes, but it might on the riders."
No one has been seen except Rodric, updated the map. This is effectively the surprise round, everyone gets a single action.
Aluxion moves into the room and to the side, waiting for the mites to come closer before shooting. He adjusts his grip so the light from his magic illuminates his surroundings.
Hella would duck behind one of the nest piles keeping cover ready to attack any that passed by. She motioned to Cerian to go straight behind the wall in front of the unmounted mite to let him keep cover.
At Miss Hella's signal Cerian will creep forward prepared to ambush the enemy.
Arilyth stays still, but will move forward once combat is engaged, eager not to be a wallflower like she was in the last fight.
Nedyr stays still as well, but readies his bow, despite his off again on again record with it.
Knowing his inability to move quietly, and the fact that his voice will carry in these tight halls, Rodric prepares himself for another greeting party.
Seeing his companions move to ambush positions, Rodric sets himself forward in the room as bait, and waits for the attacker's approach.
The centipede on its own reacts first, slithering after Rodric while the mounted mites move in as well. The unmounted mite moves forward and a second joins him out of the shadows as well!
The mites so far didnt seem to be too much a threat the large centipede though, he was unsure of. As it skittered past he thrust from his hiding spot
Cerians blade flashes and he drops the centipede, splitting it's entire side. The mite tumbles to the ground squalling at the interruption.
The centipede writhes and avoids Rodric's swing but that only makes it easier for Hella to land a vicious blow.
With the centipede dead Cerian dove into a roll over the might to his left ending up behind the line of mites flanking them with his allies... though temporarily placing him behind enemy lines as well.
He stabbed his short sword quickly into the mite (red dot) hoping to fell it quickly.
Cerian dodges over the squalling mite taking the one who couldn't see him by surprise. However the other mounted Mite tries to get his licks in. The mite misses but his centipede slashes at Cerians Ankle with it's mandibles.
Cerians blow drops the mite who doesn't even have time to squeal at his arrival.
Rodric stands firm against the aggressive Mites. Recovering quickly from his missed opportunity he brings his sword down in a heavy one handed chop aimed for the Mite in front of him.
The Mite dances out of the swings arc, managing to avoid the blow.
Round 1, Initiative 20: Aluxion
Aluxion moves to the side of the fight and fires an arrow into the fray, aiming for the nearest mite.
Instead, the arrow imbeds itself in the packed earthen floor next to the fey creature. "Tha light was in mah eyes," he mutters apologetically, drawing a new arrow.
Round 1 Init 21
Hella stabbed at the creature again trying to take it out.
Round 1, Init 9
Nedyr scootches over a bit to get a slightly better shot at the nearest standing foe.
Round 1, Init 12
With battle engaged, Arilyth steps forward, thrusting her rapier at the centipede near here.
And woefully misses, but now the thing has three foes to contend with!
Miri cranes her neck around the room. Her favorite spell would only incapacitate her friends, but just as she is about to give up the effort and raise her crossbow, she notices the tunnel across the room. Let's see if they're as dumb as they look...
Suddenly the sound of the ground rumbling and the sharp crack of falling rock against stone begins to emanate from inside the tunnel on the opposite side of the room. The sound gets progressively louder, and then tapers off to the sound of the fallen stones settling in place.
"I've caved in your tunnel, you've got nowhere to go now!" Mme. Pindles crows triumphantly.
Darbi steps forward , growling at the nearest mite and attempting to bite.
Hella lands a blow on the creature, with Rodrics assistance
The mites turn looking back at the cave entrance and squeak in terror at the thought of being trapped. However the centipedes ignore it, lashing out.
The one intent on biting Rodric is hindered by his rider as the riderless centipede coils and strikes at Hella.
The effort of the blow makes it shudder and collapse.
Round 2, Initiative 20: Aluxion
Aluxion curses as he can't seem to find a position where his bow isn't hitting either the floor or the ceiling of the low cavern. "I'm thinkin' I shoulda used a short bow," he muses.
Round 2 Initiative 29: cerian
He slid over (5 ft step) flanking both the mite in front of Hella and the mite between him and Rodric. He stabbed at the (centipeded if its falnked between hella and him, mite if the there is no centipede there)with his shortsword hoping to fell it just as quickly as he did the other.
Hella would strike at the Mite seeing their fear. "Take out the mites before they flee."
Round 2, Init 12
Wanting to end what she suspects to be the biggest threat out of the group, she brings her rapier back, and with a small flick lunges the blade at the centipede once more.
The blasted once more dodges her blade. [/i] I'll need to work on my style...[/i] she thinks, readying for another attack.
Cerian drives at the mite, his blade cutting deep but not felling it, Hella's blow hits the same mite and it stumbes but the blow doesn't seem to do any appreciable damage.
Rodric aims another heavy swing for the disgusting mite in front of him!
The squalling mite, sitting on the ground is split in twain but Rodric's fury.
Nedyr will take a shot at whatever foe he can get the best line on, I really do need to cast a spell sometime just to see if I can remember how they work He remarks to himself drily.
And fires his bow anyway