The monster lifted his spear from the crook of his shoulder and rolled it over slowly into a point-down resting position. He hadn't moved much, but suddenly he radiated an aura of ambient violence. His yellow eyes slowly scanned the room.
At the new information, Seori's left arm reflexively moved to her sword sheath, her expression otherwise unchanged.
"Then the Gaijin was a thief...or someone uninvited, at least. Let us hope that we are more welcome here. Tamapalasan, is there anything more we can know before we tempt fate?"
Necromancy
Tampalasan wrinkles his nose. "The magic in this room reeks of death. I would be very careful."
Yumi puts her hand on the hilt of her blade, but does not draw it yet. Her eyes flick to the bones around her, wondering if hers would join them.
"The Jade Regent's soldiers are coming," she says. "I would prefer not to be here to welcome them. Whatever danger this place holds has waited a long time. It will not lessen if we delay."
Makiko shivers at the mention of death. She is much happier steeped in verdant life, then near so much unlife. She raises her bow, and holds it steady.
"Then we should not hesitate. Mamoru-san, would you approach and open the chest please? Everyone else, stand ready to respond quickly if danger arises."
Seori hovers her right hand over her blade, fingers no more than an inch from the cloth grip.
Yumi draws her sword, keeping it low and standing a few steps away from the chest.
Taliv had vanished into the shadows of the cavern. It was the sound of the blade leaving the sheath that set off a series of unfortunate events. The old burnt out torches on the walls suddenly flared to light with a ghostly fire that filled the cavern with dancing shifting shadows, and exposed Taliv who had found his way near the undead guardian.
He froze as the ghostly blue light danced across his face, but it was to late. Suddenly the undead guardian moved and his blade came clear in a swift strike that dropped the rogue. It turned back towards the group and the skeletal jaw began to clatter. The skeletons of the Tian men rose from their position as they followed their leader even in death.
Group 1 - Mai Seori, Makiko, Yumi Ken, Tampalasan.
Enemy 1 - Tsutamu, Skeletons
Group 2 - Mamoru Onitora
Yumi mutters softly as she traces draconic kanji in the air with her free hand. A barrier of mystical energy appeared, shimmering in front of her as she stepped towards the nearest skeleton and struck.
With a quick intake of breath at the guardian's sudden leap to motion, Makiko lets 2 arrows fly at the nearest skeleton:
Attack 1:
Attack 2:
Damage 1:
Damage 2:
In a single motion, Seori dashes to the first available target, pulls her blade from its sheath, and sweeps it across the first opponent in her path.
move to nearest skeleton and
"Yumi, the amulet!" Tampalasan calls out. "We are here at the behest of Samuru!"
Standing back from the more martial members of the group, hoping to keep them between himself and the skeletons, Tampalasan draws his club and calls out, "Please excuse our barbarous ways, o guardian. We are unfamiliar with appropriate custom when relieving the deceased of their duty."
The shimmering shield appears in front of Yumi Ken as she strikes out against the nearest skeleton. Her blade slips harmlessly through the rib-cage and the skeleton chatters at her as if laughing. Mikiko releases two arrows into the the first one smashing through the jaw of a skeleton, but doesn't seem to slow it up as it chatters and breaks the arrow away; the second passes between bone without hitting anything. Mai Seori dashes in on her opponent as she would do in practice, but her blade just passes through bone without damaging anything. Tampalasan's words do not phase the skeletons at all as they keep close in on the group.
The guardian remains in place standing over the chest, but the other skeletons continue to attack.
Two skeletons close in on Mai Seori with multiple claws. She manages to avoid all of the attacks, but the last claw catches her.
The other skeletons close in on the remaining members of the party.
Onitora manages to fend the skeleton off with his spear. Yumi Ken has a close call but her shield absorbs the blow from one of the Skeleton's claws. Tampalasan takes a blow from a claw , but he avoids the second attack. Mikiko manages to avoid the claw attacks on her as well.
The monster slides back and angles out in an expert Hiraki glide-step, putting himself rather abruptly at the skeletal attacker's weak side. His spear lashed out like a striking snake.
The monstrous samurai leaps into action and with a massive strike he explodes one of the skeletons into pieces.
ROUND 2
"Ahh!! Forget the amulet! Get them!"
Tampalasan steps back, tossing a pork rind at the skeletons approaching. It melts into a slick, wide puddle with a couple words.
Yumi switches to a two-handed grip, swinging the katana through the air...
...and missing again.
Realizing that arrows are useless against the fleshless, lifeless skeletons, Makiko kicks towards the ribs of the one clawing at her. (Improved Unarmed, no AoO)
Attack:
Damage:
hmm. Less air, more bone.
Weaving around the flailing claws, Seori Somehow misses the one flying across her cheek; she touches her new cuts for a brief second.
"that was rude."
Pressing her left hand into the rear of her blade's tip, she shoves the width of the blade with both hands into the chin of the skeleton who drew blood.
Tampalasan's spell catches his skeleton and Makiko's in the grease spell. The skeleton advancing on him slips and clatters against the ground.
Makiko, Mai Seori, and Yumi Ken fail to land their attacks against the skeletons.
Tampalasan's skeleton stands and manages to move through the grease towards him, but can't attack. Makiko's skeleton is not slowed down by the grease and continues to attack her with its' claws. . She nimbly avoids the grasping claws of her opponent.
Yumi Ken's skeleton tries to claw at her, but she is saved by her shield again.
Mai Seori continues to face down two opponents and they grasp at her with deadly claws. She nimbly avoids the first skeleton but that puts her in the grasp of the other one who rakes her again.
The undead guardian remains standing guard over the chest as his minions attack the party.
Like the samurai at the chest, the monster was calm amid the chaos. He walked through the violence ignoring the struggles of those around him and faced the skeletal warrior. He gave a slight bow and waited.
The Skeletal Guardian doesn't respond to Onitora's approach. He remains stationary while his warriors battle at his command.
The claws swipe at Yumi, but the mystic energy of her shield pushes them aside.
Yumi viciously attacks the air somewhere to the left of the skeleton.
Tampalasan withdraws from his opponent, and repositions himself on the other side of the grease patch again, club at the ready, hoping his opponent will slip again at the approach.
Spotting an opening after the withdrawing claw, Seori snaps into a deep slice, hacking into the spine of the attacking skeleton.
Makiko shifts her weight and kicks with the other foot at the ribcage of the nearest skeleton.
Attack:
Damage:
Yumi misses again, but Mai has more luck. She scores a hit, but only manages to nix the target location. Makiko has the most luck as she smashes her opponent to pieces.
The undead guardian chatters his skeletal jaw again and some of the remaining skeletons change their targets. Tampalsan's shifts focus to Makiko instead of chasing him through the grease, hinting to some intelligence in the undead guardian. One of the skeletons attacking Mai breaks off and comes in from behind Onitora.
Makiko stays out of reach of the skeletal claws.
Mai Seori is caught by one of the claws again. Her wounds are to much for her as her sword slips from her hand and she collapses.
Yumi Ken is unlucky as the skeleton bypasses her shield and scores both claws against her.
Skeleton rakes a claw cross Onitora's back.
The monster's eyes flare at the honorless attack from behind. This bone-warrior lead these lesser things. The burden of their disrespect lay with their master. The monster ignored the creature behind him and lashed out at the warrior before him.
Makiko feels a pang at seeing Mai Seori go down. Such a noble warrior to be felled by such a creature. I wish I could help her. I suppose getting rid of these horrible things is the only way.
With new resolve Makiko deals a spinning kick to her new assailant.
Attack:
Damage:
The claws raking across her flesh seem to snap Yumi out of the frantic fury of battle and into a place of calm. There is too much to be done. I will not fail because of these dead bones. Her stance settles into perfect balance as she swings the sword past her enemy's guard, and glides away, to the heart of the fray.
Since the skeleton turned away from Tampalasan, he grins and begins to cast another spell.
-1/10 HP, stable.
Onitora's strike smashes through the armor-encased undead guardian's chest, and there are several crunching noises as the bones are shattered with the force of the blow.
Makiko smashes apart another skeleton with a spinning kick. Yumi lands a solid blow the cleaves through another skeleton. Unable to get behind the undead guardian because of the large chest protecting his flank then Yumi moves to flank the skeleton attacking Onitora. Tampalasan begins the spell to enlarge Yumi.
The undead guardian turns his gaze to Onitora as if noticing him for the first time. It chatters on again as the skeleton that downed Mai turns to flank Yumi against the skeleton that she just flanked. It swipes at her with claws covered in the blood of her companion...
Able to turn her protective shield against the skeleton she manages to not get torn up, but the other skeleton follows up against her.
The skeleton manages to break through the shield and tear a chunk of her flesh again. Like her companion the onslaught from the skeletons fell her.
The undead guardian gives only a slight bow of the head as he strikes out. The challenge issued, and accepted. He comes through with a sword slash and follows up with a claw.
Onitora's armor absorbs the blow from the undead guardian, a deadly strike to be sure, but the follow up attack with the claw rakes through it.
The monster locked eyes with the skeleton, focusing, having eyes only for it. Snarling i
Seeing Yumi go down too, Makiko leaps at one of the skeletons attacking her. She'll attempt to flank if possible
Attack:
Damage:
...t leaped up and back, slamming it's spear downward with tremendous force.
Considering his options, he knows he won't last long against these foes. But just maybe now is the time to strike...
Raising his club high, Tampalasan skirts around the grease to flank with Makiko, and crashed the club down squarely against the skeleton .
Onitora leaps at his opponent and deals another lethal strike if the undead guardian had been a lesser man, but it continues to move with an unholy will. Makiko and Tampalasan grind the remaining two skeletons into powder in their attacks.
The Undead Guardian does not surrender and continues his unholy pursuit of Onitora's mortal life. He strikes out with his sword and rakes in a split second with his claw again.
The monster was bleeding freely from claw marks on the front and back. He did not relent. He snarled at his deathless opponent, a single word forming on his lips.
"Fall."
His spear flashed again.
Startled by her suddenly larger size, Makiko glances at Tampala-san with understanding. This is most...uselful.
She will move quickly to flank the Guardian with Mamoru, amused that he is not quite as frightening from her new vantage.
Makiko will hold her attack, and wait for a signal to proceed from Mamoru, lest she interrupt a dual of honor. Shall I?