Matriarch snaps her fingers and waves at TikTik. Hey! If I've told you once I've told you a thousand times. Pay attention to battle plans! When you don't is when that thing gets damaged and that oil crap you use is hard to clean up!
Seeing the Matriarh address Tikkik, Vlad turns to the hydra. "Cephalon! Vould you like some more adventurers to chew on? Count to thirty vhen the Matriarch and I leave, then you and Tikkik take that door and go left. Sounds good?"
Two of Cephalon's heads nod. "Right. Out the door and turn left."
"We should hurry. Adventurers don't stay in one place for long."
"And don't blame me if he gets it wrong!" one of his heads says, pointing at the kobold and his machine. "We all know he won't listen."
"HEY! I'm listening now at least. Just because I get a bit... involved in my work doesn't mean I can't pay attention. I just find my machines more interesting than idle prattle."
Tikkik climbed into his cockpit and got ready to go.
The Matriarch sighs. That kobold was so frustrating sometimes.
She holds out a hand to Vlad. Ready when you are, my dear.
"At once, Matriarch." says Vlad, holding the hand and kissing it in mock chivalry.
If there is another place to hide, or room enough for two, I'll hide as well. If not, I'll stay in the Ethereal. Either way, I act as the calvary cooks charging in.
Tikkik lets Cephalon go first, as his dragon is still damaged. he grumbles about how he needs to find a way to repair it more quickly.
Cephalon bursts through the door and turns right, which was what Vlad clearly said before, and not the opposite of that, and starts crawling his way through the hallway towards the others.
The adventurers react as soon as Cephalon starts coming down the hall.
Cephalon forces his way down the hallway as fast as he can, but it's not very fast.
While Cephalon is squeezing through the corridor, Vladimir sneaks away from the Matriarch. When he believes that he's far away enough to avoid giving away her position he fishes an eyelash covered in gum from his spell component pouch.
"Invisibility!"
"This is pretty slow. Maybe I should have just gone first again."
Tikkik follows behind Cephalon, who is filling up the entire hallway.
"For Gorum!" The four new adventurers shout. None of them seem to notice Vladimir and The Matriarch behind them.
The armored priest beats his chest once with his fist, then casts a spell on the fighter. The fighter readies his shield and warhammer and moves to block the passageway. The lightly armored elf nocks an arrow to his bow as he moves over, shooting past the others at Cephalon. The arrow bursts into flames at it leaves his bow.
It skips off of the hydra's tough scales without causing any real damage. The sorcerer moves over as well, chanting a spell that causes his allies to start moving more quickly.
The cleric from before moves to one side and continues healing herself. The other, formerly invisible person also moves to one side, quaffing something from a vial. Her form blurs, becoming hazy and indistinct.
What's the point of invisibility if they aren't even trying to find me? Bah.
Taking advantage of the clangor made by his colleagues, Vladimir sneaks behind the sorcerer, rapier ready to strike.
Cephalon continues to squeeze down the hall. He nearly makes it to the heavily armored one, stopping ten feet away from him. The warrior won't be able to get close enough to attack him without leaving himself open to attack.
Tikkik follows right behind Cephalon. "Are we to the room yet?"
The Matriarch whispers to her eggs, and her eggs respond. They attempt to hijack the first cleric's nervous system and force her to do the Matriarch's bidding!
The cleric hesitates a moment, but her faith in Nethys gives her the strength to fight back the mental intrusion. She looks around, but sees no foe but Cephalon, so she targets him with a pillar of flame, aiming more for his hindquarters based on the sounds coming from behind him.
As one, the warrior and the priest shout, "For Gorum!" and charge headlong at the hydra. They both attack Cephalon's body.
The priest's attack glances off the armored hydra, but the fighter's hammer blow bruises Cephalon.
The sorcerer, meanwhile, casts a spell, only to find himself stabbed from behind. He struggles to keep his focus.
He just barely holds onto it, stumbling forward to touch the archer... who promptly disappears. His arrows, however, quite visibly fly towards the now-visible Vladimir.
The other lightly-armored woman steps over and fires a crossbow bolt at Cephalon.
It skips off of him harmlessly.
Vladimir staggers under the arrows that pierce him, but his unholy nature already starts repairing the damage. "Ow! Bad timing! Cephalon, CHARGE!" he yells.
Taking measure of the place the arrows came from, he flashes a horrifying toothy grin at his opponents. "Fear!"
He then steps forward, covering behind the sorcerer.
The matriarch, seeing that her powers have failed her, charges the Sorceror!
"Gah! I just fixed that melty spot! When I get in there, you'll be sorry! If Cephalon hasn't eaten all of you first..."
Tikkik backs up some to get out of future area-of-effects.
Somewhat to his surprise, Cephalon fails to hit either of his targets. Or rather, he hits them, but finds that their enchanted armor gives no purchase for his teeth.
The sorcerer's eyes go wide with terror, just in time for the Matriarch to charge and seize him, starting to crush the life out of him. The alchemist seems affected, as well.
Despite the massive gashes in Cephalon's body, he seems barely fazed. Only seconds later, the wounds have already begun to heal.
He lashes out wildly at the fighter, switching over to the warpriest if his current target falls.
To his great surprise, none of Cephalon's many attacks penetrate the fighter's armor. The huge beast feels too constrained by the tight space, unable to properly apply his full strength.
The fighter, unconcerned about what's going on behind him, continues hammering at the hydra in front of him, arms moving distressingly fast as he strikes.
All three blows strike true. The warpriest shouts another "For Gorum and glorious battle!" and continues attacking with his polearm.
Only his first attack strikes home, however.
Terrified out of his mind, the sorcerer struggles in The Matriarch's grip, but doesn't stand a chance of escaping. A bow suddenly appears on the ground, rattling as if dropped, and the possibly-alchemist bolts for the other exit to the room.
The cleric of Nethys sidesteps slightly and calls down a pillar of holy fire, aimed so that it just barely excludes the sorcerer.
"Aaaargh, burn marks on the stone vill be hell to clean up!"
Vladimir strides towards the entrance occupied by the large hydra. "I'll have the corridors videned vhen I restructure, but now come inside! You're blocking Tikkik! And you, fighter guy, attack the priest."
"There is an invisible archer somevhere around, he's frightened but dangerous, be vary."
Tikkik is waiting on Cephalon again. Though, if the hydra doesn't move this time, he might start attempting to Bull Rush him into the room anyway.
The Matriarch uses four arms to completely overwhelm two and pins the caster.
The fighter's eyes glaze over.
Cephalon howls in pain as the pathfinders' mighty blows manage to harm him. He would never accept defeat, of course, but perhaps it was time to back away and give his wounds a moment to heal.
He carefully backs away, out of the room, until he bumps into Tikkik's mech.
"HEY! What are you doing backing up? How am I supposed to get in there and smash things NOW!?"
Tikkik attempts to move past/over Cephalon. If he can't, he'll back around the corner to let the hydra past so that he can get in front.
Tikkik can't fit around the Many-Headed Lord's massive body, at least not in the W.M.D.
The alchemist continues running until he goes around the corner. The fighter obediently gets out of Cephalon's way into the room. The sorcerer continues to struggle futilely against The Matron.
The cleric of Nethys backs up and casts a spell, then shouts, "Drop what you hold!"
The crazy cleric shouts, "Glorious Battle!" and charges at Cephalon.
The magic releases the caster before the Matriarch can resist. She hisses in fury and steps to tear her target to shreads instead!
"Hah! Trying to force your vill on ME? You vill regret this insolence! Varrior, protect the hydra!" Vladimir bellows melodramatically. Dropping the rapier, he pounces on the cleric, slapping her with superhuman violence.
Cephalon backs away once more, hoping Tikkik and his dragon-thing will be able to help.
"Well FINALLY!"
Tikkik drives his dragon around the corner, and attacks the cleric with its jaws of steel.
He also decides to match this cleric's war cries with one of his own.
The Matriarch tears the sorcerer apart, leaving him quite dead. The fighter chases after the Gorumite cleric.
The cleric of Nethys stumbles back, quickly casting another spell. A brilliant arrow shoots out from her hand and strikes Vladimir... doing absolutely nothing. (Arrow of Law doesn't affect lawful targets)
The warpriest swings his bec de corbin, hammering at the W.M.D.
Two of his strikes hit home.
"WHY YOU!...
Clearly enraged by the state of damage his dragon is in, Tikkik directs it in a ferocious attack.
He then quietly pops open his cockpit and takes a potshot with his own pistol, hoping to surprise the warpriest with the attack.
I'm going to say that opening your cockpit is a standard action, so you can't quite manage that.
Vladimir looks at his chest with a disconcerted look. "I must say, I'm disappointed. Veren't clerics supposed to be good at fighting the undead?"
He then steps forward, slapping her again. "And I don't enjoy fighting vomen! I vas born for romance, banquets and a nice, cushy office job! But no, I am a vampire and I can't vork honestly! You made me the monster I am!"
and again 2 negative levels.