Zirul vanishes from view and the golem continues to slam into Bjorkus.
The doors to the north and the south open revealing a unit of buxom pirate bombers and more pirate guards.
Hoping to actually inflict some damage, Luthor tries his fists again.
Fire-Kal temporarily abandons the splashing of the golem with water to cast a spell at the new arrivals.
Zirul moves to harass the crazed bomber, biting down on something.
Two of Luthor’s attacks hit but seem to do little more than dent the metal behemoth.
From his invisible vantage point, Zirul is able to claw and bite at the golem’s least armored spots causing a great deal more damage.
One of their number stands against Kal’s conjured firestorm but the others are knocked to the ground.
Opal’s spell finishes and above her appear floating sphere of light. At her direction they unleash a fusillade of radiant beams on the golem.
She follows with a ball of lightning tossed at the group in the southern corner.
Edit:
Without losing a beat due to his injuries, Bjorkus continues to hack at his metal foe.
The raging bull gets revenge for first blood as his trident powers through the golem’s torso breaking it into pieces.
The women to the north struggle to their feet and flee the conjured sirocco while one makes it out in time to hurl a bomb at the invisible Zirul.
The container shatters on his armor spilling a caustic substance. In addition, something in the acid seems to be interacting with his own alchemy but it fails to overcome his.
The pirate guards to the south rush into the room with supernatural speed. One charges Luthor while the others split up to surround the party.
[ooc] crap! I edited my post instead of doing a new one
Zirul moves further, towards the bomber, and strikes again.
With the dreaded cannon golem taken care of, Luthor focuses on the guard that walked up to him.
Zirul’s claws tear through the bomber’s corset and the soft flesh beneath earning a hiss of anger.
Luthor’s pummels the guard attacking him and almost drops him but misses with his last punch when the man stumbles.
Fire-Kal swings his blazing fists at the guard next to him.
The guard’s eyes go wide in panic as Fire-Kal’s burning limbs light him aflame.
Opal directs her archon army to support Kal and fires off a series of volley of sparks herself.
Their combined assault drops the guard in a burning heap.
Bjorkus moves forward to engage the guards.
Unable to withstand the minotaur’s rage, the guard’s broken body falls to the ground.
The women choose a target and unleash anti-magic bombs.
The guards maneuver and attack again.
Zirul
Greater Invis
Luthor
Haste
Barkskin
Kal
Haste
Barkskin
Bjorkus
Haste
Fire-Kal roars angrily as he slows and his skin softens from the attacks. With an expansive gesture he casts another spell, and this time spears shoot out of the ground to impale the nasty bomber-people.
All three women avoid being fully impaled by the icy spears but one of them is tripped anyway.
Zirul growls loudly, suddenly crackling back into view. "You're gonna die for that, whore! Even Besmara ain't gonna save you now!" It is once again in this moment that he truly hopes the Queen will bless him, now that the stakes are once again being raised. His claws and jaws strike out, seeking purchase on enemy flesh.
Finding his magical speed stripped away, Luthor growls in frustration and unloads on the guard in front of him.
Opal points her archons toward one of the bombers and fires a trio of rays to support them.
Opal's barrage leaves the woman reeling.
Bjorkus grunts as the guard’s blade scores his already bleeding hide and answers in kind.
Bjorkus tears his opponent apart, leaving nothing but a mangled corpse.
The woman squaring off with Zirul hisses again as the monstrous half-elf connects.
”We know of you”, she says. ”The one called the Doctor. It’s a shame you threw your lot in with these fools against Bonefist – now you have to die!”
The women hurl bombs again – except this time they burn!
The one targeted by Opal drinks a healing draught.
The last guard throws down his blade and puts his hands up in surrender.
”I yield! Stop hitting me!”
Zirul howls out at the pain of the burns growing across his skins. His howl grows louder as he strikes against the enemy again, this time with all of his nature-blessed weapons. "I am The Doctor, and your prognosis is DEATH!!!"
The bomber adjacent to Zirul screams in pain as her brash move earns her another nasty wound.
The bombs shred Bjorkus’s hide and burn him severely. The bull’s wounds are so great that it’s only his fury and incredible fortitude that keep him standing.
With a roar he dives at the prone bomber with his horns.
Zirul’s claws connect again leaving his opponent ragged and bloody.
”Even if you kill me, you will fail”, she hisses. ”Bonefist will destroy you!”
The prone bomber’s life is snuffed out with a gasp as she’s impaled by the raging bull.
Fire-Kal follows Bjorkus at a more sedate pace, bonking him with the wand again. "If you're trying to die, there are easier ways... cleaner, too. Look at the mess you're making!"
Opal moves closer and directs her firepower on the farthest bomber.
Between her summons and another trio of lightning rays she drops her target and finishes off the bomber engaged with Zirul.
Luthor draws a potion and quaffs it.
The last bomber sneers and throws more bombs.
”Die!!!”
Zirul winces, feeling the burn go well beneath the skin, several layers down, leaving his armored skin smoking. "Flank her!" Zirul is going to delay until his allies can get in flanking position so this crazed woman can be taken down with intelligence and not just hopeful brute force.
Luthor limps over to provide the flank and gestures for Zirul to follow his lead.
Zirul races over to W11, crunching his knuckles as he clears the way for a deep wound with his teeth.
Luthor’s presence is the distraction Zirul needs to deliver the perfect blow. With a wet tearing sound he tears out the woman’s throat. She falls to the ground a second later in a pool of her own blood.
The room is suddenly quiet again.
Zirul spits the piece of throat out, using his hand on his knee to keep himself standing. "Damn...that...burns.." His skin still sizzles from the fiery burns.
He smiles at Luthor, making a fist and tapping it against the half Ulfen's shoulder. "Great teamwork, man. Couldn't have done it without you."
The guard that surrendered shakes his head.
”Bonefist is gunna kill me”, he laments.
Fire-Kal walks over and makes as if to pound the man encouragingly on the shoulder, but glances down at his flames and pauses with a smirk. "Well, at least you'll have lived a bit longer than you would've if you hadn't surrendered!" he says cheerfully.
As the party tends to their wounds a feeling of accomplishment fills its members.
”You’re gunna let me go, right?” the guard says nervously. ”I mean, I didn’t blow you guys up like the girls did.”
Fire-Kal's glowing face turns sober. "Well," he begins, glancing over at the others. "First you're going to tell us all about this complex, in fine detail. You're going to tell us where Bonefist is, and how far, and where he's laid traps or ambushes, and what other special defenses he's got." He pauses for a moment, playing idly with the flames burning between his "fingers".
"After that, we'll talk about letting you go. How does that sound?"
The man nods while nursing the bruises he has from Luthor.
"Sure. I can tell you all about the fort but Bonefist isn't in there. You lot are looking for him right? He's down in the secret cave where he keeps his flagship preparing for a getaway."
"It's that way", he says pointing south.
"The coward's running away. He knows he can't take us on." Luthor will do a quick prayer before leading the party south.
"So does that mean you're gunna let me go?"
Bjorkus stands the guard up and gives him a hoof to the rear.
"Get out of here. If I see you again, you're dead."
Heading south, the party feels themselves descending again.
The long, dank tunnel opens into a wider cave, with echoes of dripping water and far-off surf low in the distance. The tunnel ends at a benighted beach bordering a wide expanse of dark water. A wooden pier extends into the water, the tide lapping at its barnacle-encrusted pilings. Large bones jut from the water's surface.
A small boat is tied up on the dock, its sails furled and oars shipped.
Luthor will put up on the party for the next 22 minutes.
"He's already gone." He will then lead the party into the boat to row to where Bonefist has fled.
As the vessel makes it midway towards the pier on the otherwise of the cavern, the bones in the water begin to shake violently until they suddenly fly into the air. The bones assemble themselves into a gargantuan skeletal dragon that gore somehow constantly drips from. The undead beast roars and attacks the party!