Gavriil winces as the skeleton's sword slashes down his arm, drawing blood. But that doesn't stop him from stabbing at it again to nick the bone one more time.
He spun to his the left of the creature and came to a halt just in time to see it slashing at him again. He swung his sword up to intercept the skeleton's attack before pressing in on the undead with his own counter attack.
Gavriil's blade intercepts the heavy sword, sparks flying about the dark chamber, but his riposte is turned aside by the thing's armor. The follow on attack scores a solid hit, tearing into what little flesh remains.
From deeper within the cairn, a voice like sand scraping across ancient stone rolls through the halls...
"We are chartered explorers from the Swordlords of Restov! Who are you?"
Naralesh's conjured hound wastes no time with the downed skeleton, rushing over to the final foe that remains and lunges at it. Its flesh seems to dissipate as it runs, growing more and more translucent, but it has time for one last bite before vanishing into the ether.
Alas, the dog's bite can find no hold, and it barks excitedly one last time as it vanishes in a shower of golden light.
Naralesh sheathes his sword, and scoops up his longbow from the ground, moving closer to the others.
"That sounds really bad, we can smash tha bones ov skeletons but a skeleton can't speak can it." Dregan says nervously
Talia's jaw drops as the sound of a speaking sandstorm bellows across the darkness of the cairn. Shaking herself into action, the playwright backpedals to her whip and concentrates for a few seconds, willing her spell into nothingness. The puddle of grease on the floor breaks up into ascending droplets, rising in reverse tear-shapes into the air and then vanishing into the ether. Sheathing her sword, Talia stares into the darkness, hoping she can make out whatever is approaching...
The skeleton hacks at Dregan, narrowly missing the man's shoulder with its rusty sword.
Deeper within, the voice rolls.
"Who are you?"
"Magna" Dregan whines almost so distracted by the coming doom that he lets himself get hit by the current enemy. Returning the blow he steps back away action.
It is obvious that pulling away safely was more import than hitting the skeleton as his axe sweeps through empty air.
"What? It is polite to ask..."
"Magna, didn't your mum ever teach you not to talk to strange undead with creepy voices inviting you into their homes with promises of doom?"
"No, she teach me to destroy evil in all of it's many guises."
Gavriil smirked, "Good, then less talking and more slashing, beautiful."
Magna winks at Gavtiil, smiling. A fraction of a second later the inappropriateness of it hits her, and she blushes a crimson color.
All the complaining Gavriil secretly did in his own mind about Magna telling them to do the right thing. Magna telling them Torag will guide them. Magna disapproving his lifestyle. Well, it was all worth it just to see the look on the pint-sized paladin's face when she realized she was playing his dangerous game. Gavriil didn't even know dwares could turn that shade of red.
He just guffawed and said with a wink, "Don't worry, princess. I won't tell your god if you don't!"
The voice continues, coming from nowhere, and everywhere, at once.
"No, she teach me to destroy evil in all of it's many guises."
Once the grease spell is dismissed Magna quickly asks for Torag's strength (swift action to Lay on Hands on herself) and moves against the skeleton, and attacks it, all while trying to avoid eye contact with Gavriil, and taking her slip out of her mind.
Dregan swings carefully after missing before. While he makes contact his axe does little to the bones of the creature.
Gavriil stepped up to the skeleton once more to try and put the bag of bones down for good. He gave a deft thrust at the skeleton's eerie skull, try to knock the skull off the undead's shoulders to maybe finally stop the thing.
The attack went way too high though, not even coming close to nicking the skeleton.
"Blades and arrows do little to these creatures. Here, catch!" Naralesh scoops up a hefty leg-bone from the fallen skeleton, and tosses it to the first of his companions to reach out for it.
The skeleton flails at Magna with its sword, chopping hopelessly at her leg.
Rumbles the voice from deep within the cairn.
Picking up her whip, Talia steps forward and swings it overhead in a wide arc at the skeleton, and then snapping it back, drags the whip along the floor behind creature's legs. The whip lashes around the skeleton's right ankle, and with a hard yank, Talia sends the creature tumbling to the ground.
Magna asks for Torag's strength again (swift action to Lay on Hands on herself) and then attacks the skeleton again.
She heals very little, and misses again.
Dregan brings his axe done on the fallen skeleton.
However the axe slides off one it's bones even though in was helpless on the ground.
Gavriil swore under his breath. The fight was taking way too long. Not to mention the fact that they still had whatever was lurking in the dark to contend with. They needed to end it soon.
That's when Talia, beautiful, beautiful Talia, lashed out with her whip and pulled the bag of bones to the ground. Gavriil saw his opportunity and sprung at the undead, stabbing with his rapier again, and ducking down just in time for the bone Naralesh tossed to him to go right over his head.
Gavriil's rapier stabbed downward at the skeleton and struck it's bones once more as Gavriil yelled to Naralesh, "Hey! Hey! Don't throw things at me when I'm not looking! Who's side are you on?!"
Gav's blow smashes the skeleton back to the dust from whence it came.
The voice rolls forth, scratching across the ancient stones of the cairn like a carpenter's sanding block.
"Stay behind me!"
She moves towards where the voice is coming from, using a total defense action.
A shiver runs up Talia's spine as the voice rolls across the darkness of the cairn, and the noble's weapon hand starts to shake uncontrollably, but Talia just manages to force the fear down. Rushing up behind Magna, Talia draws the cure light wounds wand as she goes, thinking, I'll gladly stay behind you, Magna...
The icy fingers of fear grip Naralesh's heart. That... voice! He barely manages to stand as the wave of terror washes over the room, clutching his chest with a trembling hand. "Magna, beware!" he cries out, staring with wide eyes into the impenetrable dark beyond the light spell's feeble reach.
Magna thanks Talia with her head, while standing next to Naralesh. She speaks to the Elf with a gentle and sweet voice, trying to reassure him.
"With your arcane might helping me, and the help of our friends, I fear nothing. We will be ok."
Magna keeps moving towards the voice direction, and activates her Detect Evil ability, trying to locate their new enemy.
"Magna, it's not an' all late t' leave." Dregan whines "Its already dead but we aren't an' dis is a place fer tha dead not tha living."
"It is our sacred duty to find, and eradicate, evil whenever we found it. If you don't get rid of the impurities, the sword shatters when used."
"Yeah but deese fngs 'ave been 'ere fer ever an' only tried t' kill us because we came in. Maybe we are doin' tha evil fng." Dregan says making up excuses to avoid having to go forward.
"With your arcane might helping me, and the help of our friends, I fear nothing. We will be ok."